Snow Leopard
by dark sk8er girl
Summary: Upon the request of Queen Sindel, Raiden takes away her and Shao Kahn's infant daughter and hides her in Earthrealm. He plans for little Nyssa to grow up in the Shaolin temples and to live a happy life. But fate can be such a cruel mistress...
1. Sindel's plan

**Author's notes: Hello lovely people!  
This is my story 'Snow Leopard'. I hope you like it! **

**This isn't actually the first fanfic I've done. I wrote a couple when I was like 12-14 and they were rubbish so I took them down. Been working on this one for a while now and am quite nervous about publishing it. I can accept constructive criticism but please don't be nasty about it. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter one - Sindel's plan**

****contains implied rape****

_**Outworld**_

"FIGHT!" roared Shao Kahn from where he was sitting in his skull-like throne. The Emperor's amber eyes gleamed in delight as the two opponents charged towards each other, weapons drawn, ready to engage each other in battle. One of the combatants was an Edenian soldier, dressed in the traditional purple Edenian uniform, carrying a long, pointed and lethal-looking spear. The second was Tarkata with razor sharp teeth and long, scythe-like nails. The Edenian soldier thrust his spear towards the Tarkata, attempting to stab him through the chest but was too slow. Shao Kahn gave a satisfied smirk as the Tarkatan's nails sliced through the air…and the Edenian's face. The Edenian's blood and flesh splattered the floor and the wall behind him and Shao Kahn could make out the distinct popping sound that often occurred when someone's eye had been pulled out of its socket. The Edenian screamed in agony and staggered back, half blinded and clutching the bloodied side of his face. The Tarkatan's victory was certain yet he looked towards the Emperor eagerly, as if asking for Shao Kahn's permission to perform a Fatality.

"FINISH HIM!" ordered Shao Kahn, a malicious grin spreading over his face that was half-hidden by his skull helmet. The Tarkatan practically squealed in delight and charged towards the weakened Edenian, claws unsheathed. The Tarkatan swiped and slashed the Edenian's face once again, removing his other eye and ripping the skin away. He then stabbed the Edenian in the neck and gut, making sure to crush his windpipe and puncture his stomach with his claws and then flung the lifeless body over his head. Happy with his victory, the Tarkatan began licking the Edenian's blood off his claws.

"Impressive…" said Shao Kahn. He stood up and walked over to the Edenian's body and gave it a hard kick, just to make sure that he was indeed dead.

"You are brutal…ruthless…and show no mercy. I could use someone like you in my army in the future…" said Shao Kahn and the Tarkatan dropped to his knees in a low bow of respect.

"It is a pleasure to be of service, my lord," said the Tarkatan. Shao Kahn opened his mouth to respond when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. The Emperor turned and saw another Edenian guard standing there who was clearly trying not to look disgusted and traumatized by the sight of the bloody and gory mess on the floor that used to have been one of his teammates.

"What is it?" demanded the Emperor, not happy with the night's entertainment being interrupted.

"The Queen seeks an audience with your Lordship," said the guard, his eyes trying to look anywhere other than at the Edenian's corpse. Shao Kahn's glare softened slightly as the thought of something even better than watching two beings fight to the death entered his mind – being in the company of his beautiful Queen.

"Very well. I will return shortly. Do not continue without me," Shao Kahn ordered to his guards and the soldiers. They all bowed in respect and parted ways as Shao Kahn exited his throne room and began climbing the stairs that lead to his wife's chambers. He knocked on her door and entered.

A satisfied smirk crept over his face when his gaze fell upon his wife, dressed in a black and purple gown, standing over the cradle in which Kitana, who was slowly starting to resemble a toddler, was sleeping in. But that wasn't the reason he was smiling. His eyes slowly travelled over his wife's figure, admiring her soft breasts, her curvy hips and, most importantly, her swollen belly that was carrying their unborn child.

Shao Kahn crossed the room swiftly and lightly placed a hand on Sindel's stomach. She flinched slightly at his touch even though he tried to be as gentle as possible.

"Forgive me, my lord. I'm afraid I'm a little bit sensitive. Especially with the birth approaching so fast," Sindel half-lied. Whilst it was true that her stomach did feel sensitive and hurt slightly whenever someone touched it, Sindel couldn't stand to have Shao Kahn's hands on her. But she had learnt better than to resist his touch when she refused to share his bed for the first time on their wedding night. She had declared that he would not force her into his bed in the same way he forced her into marrying him. Sindel winced slightly at the memory of the night he forcefully broke down her bedroom door and tore her night clothes from her body. The very night that resulted in her pregnancy.

"Only a few more days and then I will finally have my own child! I can sense its power and it hasn't even been born yet!" said Shao Kahn eagerly as he felt his unborn baby kick against his hand. Sindel remained silent. She too had felt the magic flow into her baby as it grew and she knew that her child would have the potential to be powerful. Far more powerful than her and possibly more powerful than Shao Kahn. And she was certain of her husband's plans to use their child in his attempt to take over Earthrealm. The thought of her innocent baby being used as a weapon, a tool of war, made Sindel feel sick.

"What did you need to see me about?" asked Shao Kahn, bringing Sindel out of her thoughts.

"I have a request. I would like to travel to my home realm for the birth. Edenia is far more peaceful than the Outworld and there are many fine doctors and nurses there. I believe that the birth should proceed more smoothly, should it be born in Edenia. Assuming that the baby arrives on time, I should be gone for no more than two weeks…" said Sindel and she held her breath, hoping that her husband would grant her request.

He considered it carefully but his facial expression indicated that he wasn't happy about the idea of having his wife and child in a separate realm. Sindel sensed this and, in an attempt to sway him, she lightly placed her hand on his arm, caressed his cheek gently, and gave him a small smile. It seemed to work as Shao Kahn let out a small sigh.

"Our child's survival is my priority at this moment in time. If you believe that travelling to Edenia for the birth to be the best decision, then so be it. I shall arrange for a small group of my soldiers to escort you to Edenia in the morning," he said. Sindel exhaled in relief, grateful that he had agreed to let her go.

"Thank you for your generosity, my lord," said Sindel, bowing her head politely. Shao Kahn grinned and took Sindel's chin in his large hand and lifted her head so she was looking at him and he lightly placed a kiss on her lips. Sindel accepted the kiss and forced herself to respond a little. Although it still pained her whenever Shao Kahn touched her, she had to count herself lucky that he had granted her request.

"Do you require anything else, my queen?" asked Shao Kahn.

"No, thank you. You have done so much for me already by allowing me to travel back to my home for a short time. You may go back to watching the fights and enjoying yourself. Think of it as a treat before fatherhood claims you," said Sindel. Shao Khan grinned again and gave her another kiss before turning and exiting the room, eager to go back to watching the fighting. Sindel waited until his heavy footsteps were out of ear shot before she sat down heavily on the bed next to Kitana's cradle.

She absent-mindedly began stroking her swollen stomach and smiled sadly as she felt her baby kick again. Stage one of her plan; to persuade her husband to allow her to have the baby in Edenia, had worked. Now it was onto Stage two; Get to Edenia and find Lord Raiden…

_The next day in Edenia…_

Sindel sighed happily as she stepped through the portal that transported her and a small group of guards back to their home world, Edenia. While Outworld consisted mainly of rocks, deserts and wastelands, Edenia was the complete opposite. The earth was fertile, the grass was green and lush and the water that flowed in the rivers and spouted from the fountains was pure and clean. Sindel inhaled deeply, soaking up Edenia's clean and fresh air and sighed again. How she had missed her home.

"Come, my queen. We are not far from the palace," said one of the guards. Sindel nodded and they began walking once again. The Grand Palace, which was made of polished marble, soon entered Sindel's sight and she had to stop herself from running to her old home. She missed the palace and Edenia so much that she could just weep!

After several minutes of walking, the finally came upon the palace and entered through the large stone doors.

"Do you require anything, your highness? Something to eat or drink perhaps? We can send word to the kitchens," asked one of the guards as he helped Sindel take off her travelling cloak.

"I'm afraid I feel quite worn out. I will retire to my chambers for an hour or so and would like a bath drawn afterwards. I will inform you when I am ready to eat. You are all dismissed for the time being," said Sindel with a voice that was full of calm authority. The guards bowed their heads and departed as Sindel began climbing the stairs that led to her old bedroom; the bedroom she had once shared with King Jerrod. She gave a melancholy sigh as she entered her chambers, taking in the familiar sights. She longed to sit on the bed and reminisce of the time when she lived as King Jerrod's wife – a time that now seemed so long ago…

"Now is not the time to dwell on the past. It is time to deal with the future," the Queen whispered to herself. She crossed the room with a slow but determined stride and opened the door that led to her balcony. She inhaled deeply again and sighed as she felt Edenia's cool breeze lift her long dark hair. She closed her eyes and then clasped her hands together, as if in prayer.

'_Lord Raiden, I seek an audience with you regarding matters most important. Time is running out. I desperately seek your guidance and assistance,' _she thought, hoping that the Thunder God would hear her prayer and answer her. And, to her delight, she saw the fluffy white clouds overhead turn grey and block out the sun. A clap of thunder echoed loudly throughout the land and a flash of lightening momentarily blinded the Queen who shielded her eyes against the bright light.

"Queen Sindel. To what do I owe the pleasure?" spoke a deep but gentle voice that rumbled like thunder. Sindel lifted her gaze and smiled when it fell upon Raiden, dressed in his usual blue and white robes and conical straw hat. She saw Raiden examine her carefully, taking particular note of her pregnant form.

"I believe congratulations are in order. When is the child due?" asked Raiden.

"Not for another ten days, Lord Raiden. And I would happily accepted congratulations if I did not have this heavy feeling in my heart," said Sindel woefully.

"Tell me what troubles you," said Raiden gently.

"I am carrying Shao Kahn's child and I can sense that great power exists inside it. Shao Kahn can sense it too and you would have to be a fool not to believe that he will use our child and Kitana in his quest to take over Earthrealm. I have convinced the Emperor of Kitana's worth so she will be safe but I do not wish that to be my baby's fate. I do not want it to be a weapon! I would willingly part with it if it meant that I could protect it from Shao Kahn…" said Sindel, her eyes filling with tears.

"I see. And you wish for me to help you hide the child from Shao Kahn?" asked Raiden and Sindel nodded her head eagerly. "You do realise that if you are found out, the consequences will be most severe? Shao Kahn will make your life even more miserable if he finds out that you have deliberately hidden his child from him," warned Raiden.

"My life cannot be made any more miserable than it is now. I had planned to take my life months ago but then I discovered that I was with child. When you are a parent, Raiden, nothing else matters but your children. There are no limits to the sacrifices one makes for their children. I beg of you, you must help me hide my unborn child from Shao Kahn!" begged Sindel, staring imploringly at the Thunder God.

"Very well. I will return in ten days, after you have delivered the child. You must trick Shao Kahn into believing that the delivery was a difficult one and that your baby was born dead. Whilst I cannot care for the child myself, I will be sure to take it to Earthrealm and place it with a loving family. You needn't worry about its well-being," said Raiden. Sindel exhaled loudly as a warm and glorious relief washed over her now she knew that her baby was going to be safe and free from Shao Kahn's influence.

"Thank you Lord Raiden. I will never forget your kindness,"….

**END OF CHAPTER ONE!**

**Did you like it? I hope so! Please leave a review as long as it's nice!**


	2. Sindel's sacrifice

**Here's chapter two. **

**Stage one and stage two of Sindel's plan have come to pass. Let's see how stage three pans out!**

**Chapter 2 – Sindel's sacrifice. **

_**Edenia, ten days later…**_

Queen Sindel lay on her bed, clutching her maid's hand tightly. Her face was flushed and hot due to the beads of sweat on her brow and the salty tears that had fallen from her eyes. Despite having being given various herbs and roots that were supposed to relieve some of her pain, Sindel continued to cry out and scream due to the agony brought on by child birth that had started several hours earlier.

Nurses bustled around the room, carrying blankets, jugs of hot water and various balms and lotions for the physician who was gently lifting one of Sindel's legs. He gave her one final check and then nodded towards Sindel's maid.

"My lady, you are ready to deliver the little one now. It won't be long," said the maid soothingly, lightly pressing a damp cloth to Sindel's forehead. Sindel nodded, showing that she was ready and winced as more pain shot through her abdomen.

"My Queen, when I give the word, you must start pushing. Do you understand?" said the physician. Sindel nodded her head again, took a deep breath and readied herself for the pain of child birth.

"Push now, my lady!" the doctor ordered. Sindel clenched her stomach muscles and pushed with all her might. Her brows knotted together and she cried out again in pain. Her maid winced – mostly out of sympathy for the Queen but also due to the vice-like grip Sindel had on her hand. The doctor praised Sindel gently before instructing her to push again. Clenching her teeth together, Sindel pushed again, desperate for her baby to leave her body.

"The baby is crowning! Just one more push, my lady!" said the doctor encouragingly. Sindel's heart began hammering in her chest – she would soon have her new baby! She inhaled deeply once again and pushed and pushed and pushed! She was so focused on pushing that she was only vaguely aware of her screams that filled the room, barely noticing her maid and the doctor blocking their ears at her sonic scream. She felt a great weight leave her body and her screams stopped when the sound of her baby crying reached her ears.

"Congratulations, my lady! It is another girl!" said the doctor as he carried Sindel's new daughter away to be cleaned and wrapped in blankets. Sindel sighed in relief as she leant back against her pillows. Once her daughter had been cleaned, she was handed back to her mother, still wailing loudly.

Sindel's eyes filled with tears as she rocked her baby gently in her arms, knowing that this would be the first and last time that she would get to hold her new daughter. The baby quietened in her arms and opened her eyes to stare up at her mother. She had the most beautiful brown eyes Sindel had ever seen…

"My lady, Lord Raiden is waiting outside…" said Sindel's maid. Sindel's heart sank even lower in her chest and her eyes leaked more tears but she still ordered to send Raiden in. The Thunder God approached Sindel's bed slowly, allowing the Queen to have a moment with her infant daughter before the inevitable.

"Sindel, are you sure about this? I am certain we can find another way to protecting her from Shao Kahn without separating her from you…" said Raiden gently but Sindel shook her head.

"Shao Kahn's will is like a raging fire. It will consume everything it touches. You can sense the power within her, Lord Raiden. If I keep her here, Shao Kahn will train her to be nothing more than a weapon and a killing machine. I do not wish that to be her fate. I want her to be free and to make her own choices in life. As much as this pains me, you must take her," begged Sindel, now fearing that Raiden would not follow through on her request. However the Thunder God bowed his head in respect.

"Very well," he said and turned towards the Doctor and maids who assisted in delivering the new princess. "You will speak of this to no one. The story you will tell is that the pregnancy was a most difficult one and the baby died in the process. If one of you speaks the truth to Shao Kahn or any of his followers, I shall smite you where you stand. Do I make myself clear?" he ordered sharply and they all nodded, fearful of the Thunder God's wrath.

"I will give you a few minutes to say goodbye…" Raiden told Sindel and politely backed away. She smiled weakly at him and her gaze returned to her daughter who was still staring at her mother. Sindel couldn't help but smile at her daughter and place several, gentle kisses to the baby's forehead.

"It pains me so much to think that I will not be able to watch you and your sister grow. That I will not be able to take care of you when you fall ill or comfort you when you feel sad. It is likely that you will not remember me, but I want you to know how much I love you and that I part with you with a heavy heart. I hope that one day you will realise how loved you are and will always be. Be free and be happy, my beautiful daughter…" whispered Sindel and lightly pressed another kiss on the baby's forehead as tears started streaming down her face. Reluctantly, she extended her arms and handed her daughter to Raiden, who gently took her in his arms. The baby began to wail again as she left her mother's warmth and into an unfamiliar presence but Raiden did his best to hold the baby in the most comforting way he could think of.

"Nyssa. Her name is Nyssa," said Sindel as Raiden rocked the baby gently.

"I will make sure that she knows her name and her mother's love. Rest assured that she will be well looked after, Queen Sindel. And that I will be watching over her always," said Raiden. Sindel nodded her head, her throat now too tight to speak and Raiden raised his fist into the air and he and her daughter disappeared with a flash of lightning.

_'They are gone...it is done...' _thought Sindel woefully. She stared at the spot where Raiden had been standing mere seconds ago, before realising that her maids were still there.

"Leave me! I desire to be alone!" ordered Sindel sharply. The maids bowed and hastily left the room and left Sindel alone in her room, sobbing her heart out. She no longer had the strength to sit up straight and she collapsed on her bed and buried her face in her pillow. It seemed as though she laid there for hours on end, weeping into her pillow as her heart broke into a million pieces. But she knew it was for the best. Now her child was free from Shao Kahn, free from the violence and madness.

With tears still running down her face, Sindel heavily got to her feet and walked over to the small chest of drawers on the other side of the room. She opened the top drawer and rummaged around until she found what she was looking for. She clasped the phial of a purple coloured poison in her hand and knelt beside her bed and began to pray.

"Now that my baby is out of harm's way, it is Kitana who I must now protect from Shao Kahn's influence. Yet I cannot remain in this miserable existence that consists only of eternal servitude…" Sindel murmured as she gently undid the stopper of the phial.

"My soul and influence shall pass into Kitana at the moment of my death, protecting her from Shao Kahn's will. And I shall be free…free to join my King and the people who gave their lives trying to defend Edenia from being taken…" said Sindel, looking at the poison as if it were a priceless talisman.

"For my daughters…and for Edenia!" she declared and tipped the poison down her throat. Her face contorted at the bitter taste that swept over her tongue but she willingly forced herself to swallow it. She smiled wearily and heaved herself onto her bed whilst she still had strength. Resting her head on the pillow, she closed her eyes and yawned widely. The poison she took was a powerful one. She knew that within a matter of minutes, she would succumb to a deep sleep which would be followed by a quick and painless death and she would soon be free from Shao Kahn.

"I'll see you in paradise, my daughters," Sindel croaked, a single tear trickling down her cheek. She laid there for five minutes and fell into a peaceful slumber. When one of her maids poked her head around the door to see if the Queen was alright, it looked as though she were merely sleeping and the maid left her alone. It was only when the Queen didn't rise for breakfast the next day that the servants and guards attempted to wake her. It was only then that they realised that their beloved Queen was dead…

A messenger immediately departed Edenia to inform the Emperor of the deaths of his wife and child. The man had trembled with fear as he approached Shao Kahn, who was sitting contentedly in his throne, expecting the news of the birth of a healthy baby. The moment the news of Sindel's death reached Shao Kahn's ears, all hell was let loose. He'd beaten the messenger to within an inch of his life for telling such ridiculous lies only to find that upon arriving in Edenia, his wife's body was being prepared for her funeral. Seeing the fearsome and deadly Emperor weep so bitterly over the loss of his wife had been a strange sight for the servants present and they were ordered to never speak of the Emperor's very open display of emotion if they valued their lives.

A few days later, the Queen's body was returned to Outworld in a very grand coffin made of oak and decorated with lilies and orchids, Sindel's favourite flowers. Almost the entire population of Outworld and Edenia appeared in order to mourn Sindel, throwing even more flowers onto the street as her coffin was carried towards Outworld cemetery.

Shao Kahn stood and solemnly watched as the coffin was lowered into the ground. His face was a mask of stone, betraying no signs of the emotions he had so improperly displayed a few days earlier. '_Crying is for the weak and I am not weak'_ he had told himself over and over again until he believed it. He refused to be seen as weak by his subjects.

Just behind him stood one of the maids with Kitana in her arms, who had begun to wail loudly just as the Queen's coffin was being covered with earth.

"Can you not shut her up?" Shao Kahn snapped at the maid, who immediately began attempting to soothe the toddler with a terrified look on her face.

"Even for one so young, she feels the pain of losing a loved one..." came a voice from behind the Emperor. Shao Kahn turned to see his most powerful and most trusted ally; the sorcerer, Shang Tsung.

"She must learn to control her emotions and the sooner she does, the better," replied Shao Kahn bitterly, shooting a glare at the still weeping Kitana. A small smirk graced Shang Tsung's face and he took his place at the Emperor's side.

"Does that mean you intend to keep her as your heir?" he asked.

"Seeing as I have been denied one of my own, yes. I will train her to be the perfect warrior and weapon. And I will make her see things my way. My true way..." muttered the Emperor, who was one again watching the coffin being buried.

"Your...true way?" asked Shang Tsung curiously.

"Yes...she will assist me in conquering the rest of the realms. I tolerated my Queen's softness for Earthrealm and it's occupants for too long. Now she is dead, I feel no guilt in proceeding with my original plans. I will not rest until I have conquered and enslaved every realm!" hissed Shao Kahn, clenching his fist tightly. Next to him, Shang Tsung's smirk broadened widely.

"I had hoped you'd say that..." said the sorcerer evilly.

**END OF CHAPTER TWO!**

**Please leave a review. Hope you enjoyed it! Chapter three will tell us what Raiden plans to do with the baby, Nyssa. **


	3. The Elder Gods' Verdict

**Chapter Three! In which Raiden consults the Elder Gods who decide where baby Nyssa should grow up.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Three – The Elder Gods' verdict.**

_**The Heavens. **_

The rain hammered down heavily from dark grey clouds, soaking everything and everyone. There was a loud clap of thunder and Raiden appeared in a flash of lightning, still holding Sindel's baby in his arms. They had been transported directly to a hexagonal stone temple; the temple of the Elder Gods.

Before calling for the Elder Gods, Raiden regarded the baby carefully who was staring at him with her big brown eyes. She just looked like a regular baby; small, delicate and innocent yet Raiden could sense the magical potential deep inside her. It was hard to believe that something so precious could have such power.

"Raiden? Is that you, old friend?" came a familiar voice. The Thunder God looked up and saw his long time friend and ally, Fujin, the God of Wind. He wore his usual black vest and green trousers with boots and his long white hair was tied into it's usual braid. Fujin approached his friend and looked curiously at the bundle in Raiden's arms.

"And who is this then?" Fujin cooed, gently stroking the baby's head and wriggling his finger for her. Nyssa regarded him curiously, intrigued by this newcomer. Raiden gently passed the baby to Fujin, allowing the Wind God a chance to hold her.

"This is Nyssa, Sindel's newborn baby," said Raiden, absent-mindedly stroking Nyssa's head in a protective manner.

"Nyssa...a very fitting name indeed," remarked Fujin, cuddling Nyssa gently.

"How so?" asked Raiden.

"Nyssa has many meanings. It means 'goal' or 'beginning' in Greek, and 'sign' in Hebrew. It also means 'end' in Latin and 'woman' in Arabic. It has another meaning but it's slipped my mind at the moment. But my point is, I have a feeling that Nyssa could bring about great change throughout the realms," said Fujin fondly.

"Sindel sensed that as well. She fears that Shao Kahn will use their new daughter in his quest to conquer the realms and she requested that I hide her from him. I wish to consult the Elder Gods as to where I should hide her," said Raiden, not taking his eyes off the baby.

"You always did have a soft spot for the Edenian queen, old friend. Surely she will be safest in the Shaolin temples or with the White Lotus where we will be able to keep a close eye on her," suggested Fujin.

"Those are my thoughts but I still wish to consult the Elder Gods. Surely you can sense her power and potential. She must be placed somewhere where she will be invisible but still be protected," said Raiden. He then stepped forward to the centre of the temple and turned his head towards the sky.

"Elder Gods! I seek an audience!" he called, his deep voice rumbling like thunder.

"Raiden..." murmured several voices at the same time. By now, Raiden was very much accustomed to how the Elder Gods spoke in unison. Six giant figures appeared over the temple, transparent and glowing electric blue with glowing white eyes.

"I come seeking your advice. I bring the infant daughter of-"

"The Emperor Shao Kahn and Queen Sindel. We are very much aware of your promise to Sindel and commend your intuition, Raiden. We have looked into the girl's future and she will indeed grow to be powerful. She will be even more powerful than Shao Kahn and you have made the right choice to free her from his indoctrination. You must take her to the Shaolin temple in China. She will be well protected there and she will also learn to fight and to control her gifts. This is essential if she is to ever bring peace to the realms," the Elder Gods commanded.

"What do you mean? I do not think that is what her mother wished to become of her," replied Raiden.

"Nyssa Kahnum will succeed her father but will bring peace to the realms and restore balance. It is her destiny. Raiden, Fujin, you must do all you can to guide her. The fate of the realms depend on it," said the Elder Gods.

Raiden looked down at Nyssa, who had gone to sleep in Fujin's arms. He couldn't help but feel conflicted. Sindel had sacrificed herself so Nyssa wouldn't be used as a weapon in the war between the realms. He'd promised Sindel that her daughter would be protected and well cared for. Raiden wasn't sure if he could go against that promise. But on the other hand, if Nyssa could end the violence and conflict between the realms...

"I am uncomfortable with bringing up an innocent child to be used as a tool of war. It is no different to what Shao Kahn wanted to use Nyssa for..." said Raiden.

"It will be different because she must be brought up to learn compassion and humanity. We have seen into her future and her heart. Her strength comes from love and kindness, not power and cruelty. This is what sets her apart from Shao Kahn and this is how she'll defeat him and restore the realms," replied the Elder Gods. A look of relief came over Raiden's face and a small smile appeared on his face as Nyssa began sucking on his finger gently. He was much happier with this option now. He didn't think he could bear to see something so precious and innocent grow up to be a ruthless, cold-hearted killer, like her father.

"It is settled," chimed the Elder Gods with tones of finality in their voices, which told Raiden that the issue was no longer debatable. He bowed deeply in respect and the six of them vanished in a flash of light. Raiden then turned back to Fujin, who was gently rocking Nyssa and admiring her.

"Let us depart then," said Raiden, taking Nyssa back into his arms, and he and Fujin teleported away in a bright flash of lightning. The Elder Gods' temple vanished around them and was replaced by a rainy and deserted courtyard of one of the Shaolin temples. Raiden wrapped Nyssa in his cloak to prevent her from getting wet and the two Gods started to climb the stone steps that led to the main gateway. Raiden raised his fist to knock on the door and momentarily froze in hesitation.

"Do not fear, Raiden. Nyssa will be protected and well cared for here and we will be able to keep an eye on her, maybe even visit her on occasion," said Fujin, placing a comforting hand on Raiden's shoulder. Raiden only nodded his head in response and knocked sharply on the door to the Shaolin monastery. They waited several moments before the heavy, oaken doors creaked open and a Chinese man, wearing traditional orange robes with his head shaved, appeared on the other side.

"Lord Raiden, Lord Fujin, _w__ǎnshàng hǎo. _What can I help you with?" the man asked, bowing respectfully to the two Gods.

"Master Yuán, we must ask you to do us a great favour," said Fujin.

"Anything, my lords," replied Monk Yuán. Raiden inhaled deeply and reluctantly held out Nyssa, who had fallen asleep.

"This is Nyssa, the daughter of Shao Kahn and Queen Sindel. She is but a few hours old. Sindel entrusted her to me so she is now under my protection. I want you to raise her here in the Shaolin temple, teach her your ways and keep her safe. I will be visiting regularly to check on her," Raiden told Monk Yuán, his voice filled with authority. Yuán took Nyssa into his arms and regarded her carefully.

"As you wish, Lord Raiden. I will make sure that she will have everything she could possibly need. You need not fear," he said, smiling and bowing again to the two Gods. Raiden gave Yuán a steely look, almost as if he were trying to detect some hint that the monk would be unsuitable, but he found none. He nodded his head and seemed satisfied.

"Thank you, Master Yuán. I am eternally grateful," said Raiden honestly, bowing his head. Fujin followed suit.

"It is an honour to serve the Gods. Do you require anything else? I know this little one will be hungry soon and will want a nice warm bed," said Yuán, rocking Nyssa gently.

"That is all for now. We will take our leave," said Fujin. Monk Yuán bowed again before re-entering the Shaolin temple with Nyssa in his arms. Raiden and Fujin turned and walked back down the steps and into the courtyard.

"Hmmmm funny..." said Fujin as though he'd just realised something.

"What is it?" asked Raiden, looking slightly concerned.

"Oh it's nothing important, only I just remembered the other meaning of Nyssa's name," said Fujin, a small smile forming on his lips.

"And that is?" asked Raiden.

"It means 'fairy' or 'friendly elf' in Scandinavian..." said Fujin. There was a long and awkward silence between the two of them.

"I think I prefer it when her name means 'beginning' or 'sign' if that's alright with you," said Raiden dryly, as the two of them teleported away in a flash of light.

**END OF CHAPTER THREE!**

**So Nyssa shall grow up to be a Shaolin Monk! Seems to be the safest place for her. Hope you liked this chapter. Please leave a review but be nice!**


	4. Shaolin In Training

**Thank you to the people who have favourited/followed my story. It means a lot to me. Here's chapter four where we catch a glimpse of Nyssa's life in the Shaolin temple. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter four – Shaolin in training. **

_**Shaolin temples – seven years later...**_

An eight year old boy, with dark brown hair and wearing traditional grey and white Shaolin robes, stepped onto the training mat. He walked forward before turning and bowing respectfully to his sparring partner; a seven year old girl with golden brown hair that was tied into a stitch braid ponytail. She bowed back to her opponent, not taking her deep brown eyes off him.

"_Kung Lao...Hua Nyssa...__Kāishǐ!" _commanded the Shaolin monk Jiang, who was serving as a referee to the sparring match. Many other children who lived in the Shaolin temple sat and watched with excited expressions on their faces, eager to see the two best students dish it out. The two children took their respective fighting stances; Kung Lao using the Shaolin fist fighting stance and Nyssa took the Leopard fighting stance before the both charged at each other.

Kung Lao started with a combination of punches and open-palmed strikes but Nyssa parried them easily. Kung Lao lifted his back leg, as if to deliver a high kick to the head. Nyssa took the bait and raised her arms to block but Kung Lao changed tactics and struck her in the stomach, causing her to double over. With her balance thrown off, Kung Lao then delivered a sweeping kick to her front leg and successfully knocked her over.

However, Nyssa rolled into the fall and successfully leapt to her feet again and retook her stance as though Kung Lao's blows hadn't affected her. This time, she attacked with five leopard punches. She was fast, which was expected of the Leopard style, but the power and ferocity behind her punches was surprising, more akin to the Tiger style. Kung Lao blocked her punches and tried to stand his ground but finds himself being pushed back when she struck him with both hands.

Determined not to be beaten, Kung Lao aimed high kick to her head but Nyssa ducked swiftly before delivering a forward elbow strike to Kung Lao's solar plexus. Kung Lao staggered back, the wind knocked out of him. He expected Nyssa to charge forward and end the fight but instead, she waited. Her brown eyes regarded him carefully, waiting to see if he could continue. Kung Lao straightened up, showing that he still had some fight in him before throwing a series of kicks, aiming for her stomach, chest and then head.

Nyssa blocked the first two but took the third one on her cheek, leaving a nasty red welt but she gave away no indication that the blow caused pain. Instead, she blocked his fourth kick with her knee before executing a spinning round house kick. Her foot caught him right in the chest and sent him flying. Kung Lao grunted in pain as he landed on his bottom and watched fearfully as Nyssa took her original stance.

"_Wánchéng!" _called Master Jiang, stepping forward to stop the match. Nyssa stepped out of her stance whilst Kung Lao got to his feet and they both bowed respectfully to their teacher.

"_Zuò dé hǎo Kung Lao, Hua Nyssa. _You have both improved greatly. Keep practising and you will both become formidable warriors. I feel as though you both shall soon be joining Liu Kang in the next class up," praised Master Jiang, which made Nyssa and Kung Lao blush and grin excitedly. Being put in the same class as the Shaolin prodigy, who'd been moved up into a higher class with the teenagers due to his exceptional skills, was an exciting prospect for the two of them.

"_Xiàkè. _We will resume your training tomorrow afternoon after your classes," said Master Jiang. The students all stood and bowed to their sifu before walking out of the dojo.

"Well done, Kung Lao. You are much faster now. I couldn't block all of your attacks," said Nyssa, grinning at her best friend and rubbing her cheek.

"Could you imagine us being in the higher class with Liu Kang? Maybe he will finally see me as an equal and not a younger brother..." said Kung Lao eagerly, his eyes shining with the prospect of being seen as an equal to Liu Kang.

"You are just as good as Liu Kang. Everyone will see that soon," said Nyssa confidently, which made Kung Lao's cheeks turn pink in embarrassment, as they started walking back to the bedroom they shared with Liu Kang, who was the same age as Kung Lao.

They reached their dormitory, pushed the door open and found Liu Kang inside, sitting on his bed in the middle bunk and reading. Due to there being an increase in the number of students the Shaolin temples were accepting, many of the younger students had to share rooms and slept in triple bunk beds. They even shared a wardrobe that had been divided up evenly so each of them had the same amount of space for their clothes and possessions. Not that they had much to begin with. All three of them had two sets of traditional Shaolin robes as well as three outfits for casual wear and one for formal wear. Between the three of them, they also had a small collection of books and art supplies.

"Hello you two. How was training?" asked Liu Kang, not looking up from his book.

"Excellent, thank you! Master Yuán said that Kung Lao and I are ready to move up! We'll soon be training with you, Liu Kang!" said Nyssa happily, looking eagerly for Liu Kang's approval. "I expected nothing less of you. It is about time that you two caught me up," said Liu Kang, grinning at his two friends.

"You never know; maybe we will surpass you," said Kung Lao, smirking at Liu Kang. Liu Kang pushed his book aside and stood up in front of Kung Lao and pretended to square up to him. Nyssa began giggling shrilly; she liked this game.

"Over my dead body," said Liu Kang and he and Kung Lao began wrestling with each other playfully whilst Nyssa cheered and egged them on. They both had each other in headlocks and struggled for dominance but, upon realising the futility of their position, they gave up and flopped onto the bottom bunk, panting slightly.

"Hey, Liu Kang! Kung Lao! Whilst you two were fighting, I just joined the adult class and became a Shaolin master!" catcalled Nyssa, sticking her tongue out at the two of them. Liu Kang and Kung Lao glanced at each other briefly, before pouncing on her, pinning her down and began tickling her.

"Noooooooo! Stop it!" she shrieked, tears of laughter pouring down her cheeks as she tried to fight them off.

"Some Shaolin master! Unable to fight off two lowly apprentices!" laughed Kung Lao. Their play fighting continued for several minutes until there was a knock on the door. Liu Kang and Kung Lao sprang apart quickly and pulled Nyssa to her feet, not wanting to get told off for fighting again, just as the door opened. One of their other teachers, Master Chéng, entered the room. The three apprentices scrambled to get in line and bow to him as they always did.

"Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Hua Nyssa-" he started before he was interrupted.

"We weren't fighting, Master Chéng!" squeaked Nyssa, prompting the monk to raise an eyebrow suspiciously.

"I just came in to tell you three that Lord Raiden and Lord Fujin will be arriving shortly. I suggest you three make yourselves presentable," said Master Chéng before exiting their room.

The three of them suddenly rushed over to their large wardrobe and pulled out their formal attire. Liu Kang and Kung Lao both had Kung Fu suits, made out of the finest cotton and trimmed with silk. Liu Kang's was black and red, with a dragon embroidered onto the back, whilst Kung Lao's was blue and black and had a tiger printed on it. Nyssa, meanwhile, pulled out her purple, knee length qipao dress that was embroidered with silver roses. The three of them took it in turns to use the bathroom to have a quick wash with a flannel before getting changed into their formal wear and brushing their hair.

"Liu Kang, have you seen my blue and white bandana?" asked Kung Lao, rummaging through the drawers to see if he could find it.

"It's in my history book. I was using it as a bookmark," said Liu Kang, handing Kung Lao his bandana.

"Can someone help me do my hair? I can do the braids but I need someone to pin them," said Nyssa as she braided her hair into a two braided hair lock. Liu Kang picked up Nyssa's favourite silver butterfly clips and pinned the braids together so her hair formed a natural, loose pony tail. They slipped on their cotton slippers before heading out of their room and into Grandmaster Yuán's personal chambers. As well as his own bedroom, he also had a study and a special sitting room where he ate his dinner and held important meetings. Being invited into Master Yuán's personal quarters was a great honour for the young apprentices. Liu Kang knocked politely on the door and the three of them stood up straight and waited patiently, wanting to present themselves with pride. A few seconds passed and Grandmaster Yuán opened the door and smiled warmly down at the three of them as they bowed to him respectfully.

"Greetings, my apprentices. I am grateful that you are able to join me this evening," said Master Yuán warmly. He stepped back and allowed the three of them to enter the room where the Gods of Thunder and Wind were standing and waiting for them. The two Gods held themselves with such fierce and regal authority that would make most people sweat with fear. The apprentices, however, calmly walked forward and bowed deeply to Raiden and Fujin, their hands clasped together as if in prayer.

"Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Hua Nyssa...greetings," said Raiden formally as he and Fujin bowed in return. Even though he didn't shout, his deep voice still resonated in the room. "Good evening, Lord Raiden and Lord Fujin," chorused the three of them. Nyssa looked at the two Gods before her, studying their faces in particular. Their faces were calm and solemn, which was expected of them, but Nyssa saw the jovial glints that were twinkling in their glowing eyes.

Bursting into giggles, Nyssa charged forward and flung herself at Raiden, who scooped her up under the armpits and hugged her tightly and placed a kiss on her forehead. When Raiden put her down, she then did the same with Fujin, who hugged her with the same enthusiasm. Kung Lao and Liu Kang fidgeted uncomfortably and tried to not look embarrassed. They were much more reserved than their friend and found it very strange when the brave and fearsome protectors of Earthrealm showed such overt displays of affection.

"No need to look so embarrassed, boys. Come, sit with us," said Fujin cheerfully, placing Nyssa on the sofa between himself and Raiden. Grandmaster Yuán, Liu Kang and Kung Lao sat on the sofa opposite the Gods and Nyssa, as was expected of them. They found it baffling how they allowed Nyssa to sit on their laps and cuddle up to them.

"Now, Master Yuán tells me that you three have been making excellent progress in your training. Is this true?" asked Raiden, looking at all of the Shaolin apprentices.

"I've been put into classes with the teenagers," said Liu Kang proudly. "But Kung Lao and Nyssa doing just as well as me. They'll be in the same class as me soon," he added so he didn't sound boastful.

"I'm getting really good at Leopard Kung fu! It's my favourite style and I managed to beat Kung Lao today in training with it! But he's getting a lot better too. He puts up a good fight and does lots of tricky moves!" said Nyssa praisingly. Kung Lao's cheeks went bright pink once again.

"Very impressive. But I hope you aren't neglecting your studies. You know that intelligence can be a weapon just as powerful as physical strength," said Fujin wisely.

"Don't worry, Lord Fujin. We study every day," said Kung Lao honestly.

"They most certainly do. The three of them are at the top of their classes," said Yuán, a hint of pride in his voice.

"Kung Lao and Liu Kang help me with Japanese and Chinese because the writing is difficult. They are good teachers," said Nyssa, grinning happily at her friends, who both blushed.

"Well Nyssa helps us with maths and English," said Kung Lao.

"We all like to help each other," said Liu Kang.

"I am pleased to hear this. It tells me that these gifts are well deserved," said Raiden, pulling a sack from under the wooden coffee table. Liu Kang, Kung Lao and Nyssa all sat up a little bit straighter when they heard the word 'gifts' and tried not to look too excited.

"Our journeys recently took us to Japan and we have brought you some traditional gifts that represent the rich, cultural heritage of this wonderful country," said Fujin as Raiden began digging through the sack.

"For Liu Kang, we have a karakuri box. They are traditional "magic boxes" that are made in a certain way that you cannot open easily. You must use logic and accomplish a certain number of moves before being able to open it. There is also a traditional Japanese calligraphy set. Having beautiful handwriting is a sign of achievement and education in Japanese society," said Raiden, handing Liu Kang a handcrafted wooden box and a leather box. Liu Kang opened the leather box and found a variety of ink sticks and brushes, a small ink pot, several pouches of coloured ink and a small note book in which to practice as well as an instruction book.

"Thank you very much, Lord Raiden and Lord Fujin," said Liu Kang, smiling happily at his new gifts. The Thunder God smiled warmly in return before turning to Kung Lao.

"For Kung Lao; a kendama. This is a traditional ball game that is still very popular in the modern world to the point where competitions are held all throughout Japan. We also have some koma which is a very popular toy amongst Japanese children," said Raiden. He handed the toys, which had been painted blue, black and silver, to a delighted Kung Lao.

"Thank you, Lord Raiden and Lord Fujin! I will practice every day and maybe I will be able to enter a Kendama competition!" said Kung Lao excitedly, admiring his toys. Nyssa smiled happily at her two friends as they fiddled with their gifts and patiently waited for her turn.

"And for my little snow leopard," said Fujin, reaching for the sack. "We found a tessen, which is a Japanese war fan. Many types of tessen were used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. They are a deceptive weapon, designed to look like harmless folding fans but can be very deadly when used correctly. They are usually made of iron and are bladed but this is a practice wooden one. Maybe if you practice enough, you'll be good enough to wield a proper one," said Fujin, handing her the tessen.

The wooden ribs were painted purple, Nyssa's favourite colour, and when she opened it, the fabric was lilac and had a snow leopard painted on it. There was also Japanese writing across the fan that Nyssa didn't understand.

"Oh thank you, thank you!" she squealed, leaping to her feet enthusiastically and began waving her tessen through the air gracefully, pretending to block the strikes of imaginary opponents.

"Sit down, we haven't finished yet," said Fujin, laughing at her eagerness. He reached into the sack again and brought out two objects. One was a soft toy snow leopard and the other was a beautiful, intricately made geisha doll. Nyssa's eyes grew to the size of saucers when she laid them on the doll. The beautiful doll wore a purple and pink kimono embroidered with flowers and carried a small black and red fan in her tiny, porcelain hands. She took them both into her arms and hugged them to her chest.

"I love them! Thank you so much!" she said, before lightly placing kisses on Fujin and Raiden's cheeks and hugging them tightly. Kung Lao was too busy playing with his new toys to notice, but Liu Kang's facial expression darkened as Nyssa embraced Raiden as if he were her own father. He couldn't help but wonder why they gave Nyssa such special treatment.

"I shall name you Sakura," she said, turning her attention back to her new toys and lightly stroking the geisha's black hair. "And you shall be Yukie," she told the cuddly leopard. Raiden and Fujin looked at the children's happy faces and couldn't help but smile themselves, feeling very pleased with their work.

"Shall I call for some tea?" suggested Master Yuán and they all nodded in agreement. The six of them spent the rest of the evening together, drinking tea, talking and laughing. Sometimes Raiden and Fujin talked about their travels and adventures which excited the young apprentices and sometimes the adults talked about political dealings and business in the other realms which the children lost interest in, so they played happily with their new possessions, without a care in the world.

Little did any of them know, that they were being closely watched from outside by four figures, who were hidden from view in the darkness and amongst the leaves and petals of the peach tree they were perched in. One was dressed in traditional Shaolin robes whilst the others were dressed in black and blue ninja garb with a hood and mask covering their facial features.

"Which one do you want? Liu Kang shows the most promise and potential out of the three," said the monk.

"Not him. We have been sent to collect the girl," replied the blue-clad ninja, before he gracefully jumped out of the tree and onto the ground, closely followed by his companions.

"But the girl is under the protection of the Thunder God. All hell will be let loose once her absence is discovered..." replied the monk.

"Which only makes her a more valuable prize for our Grandmaster. You're not thinking of backing out of our agreement are you, Chéng? Especially not now that myself and my fellow assassins have the wife and son that you worked so hard to keep secret..." replied the assassin maliciously. Master Chéng sighed heavily in defeat.

"Of course not..." he replied miserably.

"Good," replied the assassin. "Bring her to the outskirts of North Nanyang by the end of the week. We will be waiting there to collect her. If she has not been delivered by sunset on the last day...well, let's just say that it won't be good news for your wife and son..." said the assassin evilly before he turned on his heel and disappeared into the night with his companions, leaving Chéng alone with his thoughts.

Chéng hung his head in shame and winced as he heard the sound of laughter come from Monk Yuán's chambers. He knew there was nothing he could do to rid him of the shame and guilt he felt for the crime he was about to commit. Nothing could redeem him for this crime, yet he couldn't risk the lives of his loved ones so he could keep his honour. It had to be done. There was no choice.

"May the Elder Gods have mercy on my soul," he whispered.

**END OF CHAPTER FOUR!**

**Dun dun duuhhhhh as Johnny Cage once said. I hope you liked reading this chapter just as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please leave a review as long as it's nice :) **


	5. Taken

**Finally finished chapter five. Thank you to all the people who have favourited or are following my story. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave a review if you like it. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC characters. Blood and violence in this chapter. **

**Chapter five – Taken.**

_A week later..._

Nyssa inhaled deeply and bowed, her wooden tessen in her hand. She then stepped forward into a long stance and thrust her tessen forward in a thrusting motion, stabbing an imaginary opponent. She then shook the fan open and swung it around her head slowly, before stepping forward quickly into a reverse cat stance and pretended to strike her opponents neck with the edge of her fan, causing it to close once again. She then resumed her neutral stance and bowed to her non-existent opponent, before turning to her geisha doll and cuddly snow leopard, which she'd placed on Liu Kang's bed, and dropped to one knee.

"Never fear, Sakura-sama, Yukie-sama. The assassins have been dealt with. You are now free," she said dramatically.

"Will you give it a rest now, Nyssa? You've been fighting off assassins all day and protecting that stupid doll and stuffed animal," grumbled Liu Kang. He and Kung Lao sat at their large desk, trying to complete their Chinese homework. Nyssa was supposed to be studying as well, but kept getting distracted by her gifts from Raiden and Fujin. Whilst Kung Lao enjoyed watching Nyssa's imaginary game, Liu Kang had quickly grown fed up with it.

"Sakura-sama isn't a stupid doll! She's the daughter of the Emperor of Japan, Yukie is her pet, and I am her body guard!" said Nyssa, glaring at Liu Kang for insulting her prized possessions.

"She's a porcelain doll! Nothing more! Now sit down and finish your homework," snapped Liu Kang.

"What's the matter with you? You've been in a bad mood with me ever since Raiden and Fujin left and I'm fed up with it!" snapped Nyssa, her fingernails digging into her palms as her hands formed into fists.

"No, I haven't. I just want to do my homework in peace," said Liu Kang through gritted teeth.

"You so have! Tell me what's wrong!" demanded Nyssa.

"I have not!" shouted Liu Kang angrily.

"You have, Liu Kang. It's because you're jealous that Lord Raiden and Lord Fujin favour Nyssa," said Kung Lao, who was also fed up with Liu Kang's behaviour over the past few days.

"Well, aren't you jealous as well? What makes her so special that she gets to be their favourite?" asked Liu Kang, glaring angrily at his friend. Kung Lao opened his mouth to respond that he didn't care but never got the chance to because Nyssa interrupted.

"I am not their favourite!" she shouted shrilly. Her face had turned red and her eyes became slits of fury.

"Then explain how you get three gifts instead of two! Explain how you're allowed to address them as 'Raiden' and 'Fujin' as opposed to addressing them properly like the rest of us! Explain how you're allowed to hug them and sit in their laps! " snapped Liu Kang. Nyssa tried to argue back but realised that Liu Kang had a point. She'd never seen Raiden or Fujin hug or kiss the two boys or let them sit in their laps. But she was proud and wouldn't back down so easily.

"I am not their favourite!" she repeated, her voice getting louder the angrier she became.

"Yes, you are! And it's not fair! I'm the one who's in the higher class! I'm the one who helps you with your homework every night! I'm the one who's better than you, so why are you the favourite?" demanded Liu Kang angrily.

"Guys, it's not a competition!" said Kung Lao, trying to diffuse the situation. But it was too late. Nyssa had seen red.

"You think you're better than me, huh? Well, eat this!" she shrieked. She grabbed Liu Kang by his hair and pulled him onto the floor and began punching him furiously.

"Guys, stop it!" shouted Kung Lao, trying to pull the two of them apart when Liu Kang started fighting back and punched Nyssa hard in the stomach. Nyssa grunted in pain but didn't stop her assault on Liu Kang. She pinned him down with her knees and continued punching him until bruises began to form on his cheeks. However, Liu Kang finally managed to overpower her and he threw her off. He then mimicked her by straddling her and began hitting her in the face whilst Nyssa raised her arms to shield her face from his punches.

"_LIU KANG! HUA NYSSA! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" _boomed the angry voice of their sifu, Master Jiang. He and Monk Chéng ran into the room and pulled the fighting children apart.

"She started it!" shouted Liu Kang, pointed accusingly at Nyssa.

"Only because you were being mean and nasty!" Nyssa shouted back.

"I don't care who started it but we're going to finish this now. You two should know better than to fight like this. You're supposed to set an example to the other apprentices. Now apologise to each other!" demanded Master Jiang. Nyssa and Liu Kang, however, folded their arms and glared at one another. Neither of them had any intention of apologizing.

"I never want to see you again!" snapped Liu Kang.

"I hate you!" shouted Nyssa. Master Jiang tried not to growl in frustration before he grabbed Liu Kang by the arm and pulled him out of their bedroom.

"Kung Lao, go and finish your homework in the Main Hall. Master Chéng, be sure to discipline Hua Nyssa whilst I deal with Liu Kang," he thundered. Kung Lao bowed obediently before grabbing his books and fleeing the bedroom. Master Jiang dragged Liu Kang away, slamming the door behind them, leaving Nyssa alone with Master Chéng, who was looking at her with a disapproving expression on his face.

"Hua Nyssa, why did you hit Liu Kang?" he asked, his voice serious.

"Because he was being mean to me. He called my dolls stupid, said that I am Lord Raiden and Lord Fujin's favourite and that he's better than me so he deserves to be their favourite," she told him, folding her arms and scowling.

"Nyssa...what is the first rule of the Shaolin apprentices?" asked Master Chéng, a look of disappointment appearing on his face.

"That we only fight in self defense...never offense..." said Nyssa, sighing in defeat.

"Exactly. I understand that Liu Kang's words were hurtful but, as Shaolin monks, we _never _resort to violence over verbal disagreements. You should know better than this. You've dishonoured yourself and the Shaolin..." said Master Chéng gravely. Nyssa hung her head in shame and tears began forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Master Chéng. Can I go to apologise to Liu Kang now?" asked Nyssa.

"Not just yet, I'm afraid. You and I are going into Nanyang for a small trip for a few days. You may apologise to Liu Kang when you return," he told her. Nyssa tilted her head and looked confused.

"Right now? But I have my chores and homework to do and I cannot miss training..." she said. "Grandmaster Yuán has requested personally that I take you with me. You are to help me with very important business," replied Chéng.

"But what can I possibly do to help?" she asked, confused.

"That is not for you to worry about, young one. The only thing you need to do at the moment is pack up your things. We will be gone for a short while so be sure to pack enough," said Master Chéng.

"Can I bring Sakura and Yukie?" asked Nyssa hopefully. Master Chéng looked into her eyes and looked as though he were about to say no, before he changed his mind.

"I suppose so. But you may only play when I say you can and I suggest you use the journey to think about your behaviour," said Master Chéng, heading to the wardrobe and pulling out Nyssa's duffel bag. Nyssa nodded obediently and began taking her casual, street clothes out of the wardrobe and folded them neatly so they fit perfectly into her bag. She also packed her pyjamas, her toothbrush, hair brush, her favourite hair clips and hair sticks, her Chinese and Japanese books so she could study before gently placing Sakura, Yukie and her tessen on top of her clothes.

"Come along then, young one," said Master Chéng, taking her hand and leading her out of her room. As the evening was upon them, the corridors and halls of the Shaolin temples were mostly deserted. Most of the monks and apprentices retired to their rooms to study or meditate before dinner was served at seven. Chéng took Nyssa out of the temple, down the stony steps, across the courtyard and through the main gateway where a horse and a small cart was waiting. As Nyssa was too short to climb into the cart herself, Chéng scooped her up and placed her in the cart and gave her a small cushion to sit on, before he climbed into the drivers seat and took the reins of the horse. With a sharp click of his tongue, the horse began trotting and pulling the cart away from the Shaolin temple.

It took approximately an hour and a half to reached Nanyang from the Shaolin monastery by horse and cart so Nyssa took out her Japanese text book so she could use the time to do some studying. She tried to revise the kanji but her mind kept wandering back to the fight she had with Liu Kang and the guilty feeling that had settled into her stomach. After fifteen minutes, she snapped her text book shut and put it back in her bag, unable to concentrate. She closed her eyes briefly and tried to meditate on her guilty feelings.

_'Sifu Chéng is right. I let my anger get the better of me and I dishonoured myself. And I guess I have been boasting quite a lot recently...I must apologise to Liu Kang as soon as I get back. Maybe I'll ask Sifu Chéng to buy some of those sweets that Liu Kang likes...' _she thought to herself. That seemed like a brilliant way to get back into Liu Kang's good books and she smiled to herself, her eyes still closed.

She began day dreaming of her and Liu Kang making up, sharing some moon cakes with him and Kung Lao and then playing and training together as if nothing had gone wrong in the first place. As the sky became darker, Nyssa began to yawn and her day dreaming turned into regular dreaming as she curled up into a ball and rested her head onto her duffel bag. She spent the rest of the journey in a peaceful slumber before being gently shaken awake by Master Chéng.

"We have arrived, young one," he said, lifting her out of the cart and placing her on the ground. Nyssa rubbed her eyes sleepily before surveying her surroundings. They were not outside of a hotel like she expected but instead were just outside of the city by the edge of a forest.

"I see you finally brought her, Chéng. Took you long enough," came a smooth, yet cold voice that Nyssa didn't recognise. She looked up and three figures jumped down from the trees. They all wore matching blue and black ninja uniforms complete with hoods and masks that prevented Nyssa from seeing their faces. But their eyes were cold and evil which frightened Nyssa, causing her to take a step backwards and back into Chéng's legs.

"I gave you my word that I would bring her to you. Just as you gave me your word that you would not harm my wife or son..." said Chéng gravely.

"We did say that, didn't we?" said the leader of the trio, a hint of mockery in his voice.

"Hand her over!" barked one of the others. Nyssa began to tremble in fear and she latched onto Monk Chéng's hand.

"Don't make me go with them, Sifu Chéng! Is this because I hit Liu Kang? I'm really sorry, I promise I won't do it again!" she whimpered. Tears started streaming down her face as Chéng unclasped her hand from his and began walking her towards the assassins. But he hesitated before handing her over.

"Are my wife and son safe?" asked Chéng. His grip on Nyssa's shoulders had become rather tight. The assassins glanced at each other and the leader nodded his head. The assassin on the right tossed a large burlap sack to Chéng. Nyssa watched in horror as Chéng opened the bag and let out a terrible scream. The sack fell from his hands and the severed heads of a woman and a teenaged boy rolled out onto the floor.

Nyssa screamed in terror as Chéng suddenly shoved her behind him. He stood protectively in front of her and took his fighting stance.

"You said you would not harm my wife and son if I brought you the girl!" he bellowed, his face contorted with rage and grief.

"You took too long bringing her to us. And we also like to silence any witnesses. We don't want you or your precious wife or son running your mouths to the Thunder God," said the leader ominously as he casually stepped forward. His wrist began glowing blue and a sword materialised in his hand. It was made of ice!

"Bring me the girl. I'll deal with him," he ordered the other two assassins. They started to walk around Chéng so they could seize Nyssa but the Shaolin monk was quick. He grabbed the first assassin by the wrist and twisted it painfully before delivering an elbow strike to the man's forehead, knocking him out. Chéng then threw him towards the second assassin, briefly distracting him before delivering a spinning round house kick to his head which sent him flying.

"Sifu Chéng! LOOK OUT!" screamed Nyssa, as the leader leapt forward to aid his comrades. Chéng lifted his arms to block as the leader swung his ice sword in a downwards motion. Chéng caught the blade between his palms and twisted it so the blade snapped, before he aimed a kick to his opponent's head. The assassin blocked the kick and grabbed onto Chéng's wrist and suddenly the Shaolin monk was encased in ice. He then kicked Chéng powerfully in the chest, which caused the ice to break and Chéng to stagger back, disorientated. The assassin then quickly formed another ice sword and lunged forward. He thrust his ice sword forward and stabbed Chéng through the chest. He twisted his sword maliciously before withdrawing it and then he coldly pushed the Shaolin monk to the ground.

"NOOOOO!" wailed Nyssa as Chéng's light grey robes turned red with blood and his face turned pale. Sobbing, she ran over to him and knelt beside him. He placed his hand over the wound in his chest so Nyssa couldn't see it and he looked at her with eyes full of regret.

"I am sorry...little one...I betrayed you...forgive me...please forgive...me," he murmured before his eyes glassed over. He took one last shuddering breath and then became still. He was dead...

"Sifu Chéng! No!" she wept, burying her face in her hands. She started to sob uncontrollably but was suddenly yanked to her feet by the assassin. Nyssa shrieked when his ice cold hand slapped her cheek.

"Shut up, you little brat. You're coming with us whether you like it or not," he then yanked her over to the horse and cart and threw her into the back of the cart. He grabbed a length of rope that was in the cart and swiftly tied her hands and legs together so she couldn't escape. It was no easy feat as she wouldn't stop squirming or kicking.

"I don't want to go with you! You killed Sifu Chéng!" she sobbed, desperately trying to wriggle out of her bonds.

"Why do you weep for that man? He was willing to hand you over to us. He betrayed you, you stupid girl. Now, you can either willingly shut up and stop struggling or I will freeze your mouth closed and freeze your legs together," hissed the assassin. Nyssa looked into his eyes and could tell that he was being serious. She curled up into a ball, the smallest ball she could make and buried her head in her duffel bag and quietly sobbed whilst the assassin loaded his unconscious comrades onto the cart as well.

As the cart started moving, Nyssa shut her eyes tightly and imagined that Yukie, her cuddly snow leopard, suddenly came alive and pounced on the assassins, scaring them away, and then she used her claws to cut through the rope wrapped around Nyssa's wrists. She imagined this scenario over and over again in her head, willing it to become real, but knew it would do no good.

_'Someone please help me!' _she thought desperately, as the cart took her further away from Nanyang and even further away from her home...

_Back in the Shaolin temple..._

Grandmaster Yuán was rudely jerked out of his meditation by a loud banging on the door to his personal chambers. Feeling slightly disgruntled at being interrupted during his meditation, Yuán hurried to the door as the loud knocking continued. He yanked the door open and was ready to reprimand whoever it was, but was shocked to see Lord Raiden standing on the other side, his blue eyes blazing brightly with fear and fury.

"Lord Raiden! To what do I -" Yuán started before Raiden interrupted him.

"Where is Nyssa? I cannot sense her presence in the temple. Where is she?" he demanded. His hands were balled into fists and were shaking violently. He looked so alarming that Yuán almost backed away from the Thunder God.

"It is passed curfew so she should be in her quarters with Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Where else would she be?" said Yuán, shutting his door. The two of them started walking down the corridor and towards the dormitories where all the children slept.

"Where she _should_ be is neither here nor there. I want to know where she _is_. I still cannot sense her presence now..." said Raiden, his voice starting to sound panicky as they came up to the bedroom Nyssa shared with Kung Lao and Liu Kang. Yuán knocked on the door before pushing it open.

Inside, Liu Kang and Kung Lao habitually leapt to their feet to bow to their Grandmaster. Nyssa was nowhere in sight.

"Good evening, my apprentices. We are looking for Nyssa. I don't suppose you have seen her?" asked Yuán calmly. Both boys shook their heads sadly.

"Nyssa and Liu Kang had a fight earlier today and we haven't seen her since," said Kung Lao.

"Sifu Chéng might know because he was the one who told her off whilst sifu Jiang was disciplining me. I said some horrible things to her and she hit me. I made her this so we could make up," said Liu Kang, holding up a folded piece of card. He'd used his calligraphy set to write "I'm sorry" in katakana on the front of the card and he'd also drawn a dragon and a snow leopard underneath. Yuán stepped out of the room briefly and spotted one of his fellow monks walking down the corridor.

"Jiao-long, could you please fetch Chéng and bring him here?" he commanded. The monk bowed his head respectfully before turning on his heel and walking in the direction of the adult dormitories.

Raiden crossed the bedroom in three strides, opened their wardrobe and began searching through their possessions.

"All of Nyssa's things are missing..." he announced. He turned back to face Yuán and the boys, who were staring at him with shocked expressions.

"Has she run away?" asked Kung Lao.

"Do you think she's run away because of the fight we had?" asked Liu Kang, a look of guilt suddenly appearing on his face.

"Now, let's not jump to any conclusions, boys," said Yuán nervously.

"No...she couldn't have. She wouldn't! She knows better than that..." said Raiden, although his tone made it sound like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else. There was a quiet knock at the door. Jiao-long had returned.

"Chéng is not in his quarters but Xing and Yunxu reported seeing Chéng leave the temple several hours ago with one of the horses and carts. He took Hua Nyssa with him. They believe that he was heading to Nanyang," Jiao-long told them. Grandmaster Yuán stared at Jiao-long in confusion and a fearful look appeared on his face.

"I was not informed of this trip, nor did I authorise it. Why would he take Hua Nyssa into Nanyang?" he said in disbelief. Raiden's face turned as white as his robes and sparks of electricity formed around his wrists. Yuán looked fearfully at Raiden and quickly ushered Kung Lao and Liu Kang out of the room, just in case Raiden went berserk.

"Raiden, if you teleport us to Nanyang, I will be able to track Chéng's whereabouts," Yuán suggested.

"No need. I can do that myself," said Raiden.

He made no attempt to conceal his fury at the Shaolin monk. He'd trusted Yuán to keep Nyssa safe and he'd let someone take her right from under his nose. Raiden raised his fist into the air and he teleported away in a flash of lightning.

The Shaolin temple disappeared around Raiden and the outskirts of Nanyang formed around him. He now stood at the edge of a dense forest that was pitch black now that night had fallen. Unable to see through the darkness, Raiden concentrated his powers and created various orbs of electricity in order to illuminate the area around him. He then scanned the area around him, searching for some indication that Nyssa or Chéng had been here. What he found, almost made him sick.

Raiden ran over to Chéng's body and examined him carefully. There was a deep wound in his chest and his skin was pale and cold, indicating that he'd been dead for a few hours by now. Next to Chéng's body was a burlap sack and the severed heads of a woman and a teenaged boy. There was no sign of Nyssa, the horse and cart or the killers. Raiden couldn't sense them.

Inhaling deeply to prevent himself from being sick, Raiden examined the wounds carefully. They were very distinctive wounds; they'd been performed quickly and cleanly and with deadly precision. He knew instantly who had inflicted them.

"Lin Kuei..." he whispered in horror and he fell to his knees. His little snow leopard had been taken by the Lin Kuei and there were only two, possibly three, people who would hire Earthrealm's deadliest assassins to kidnap her. Tears sprung up in his eyes as he realised that he'd broken his promise to Queen Sindel and had failed to protect the little girl whom he had come to view as a daughter.

"Not Nyssa...not my baby..." he whispered in despair.

**END OF CHAPTER FIVE!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Who hired the Lin Kuei to kidnap Nyssa? Could Shao Kahn possibly know that his daughter is actually alive as opposed to being dead as he was lead to believe? Will Raiden be able to rescue Nyssa and bring her back to the Shaolin temple? We'll find out in Chapter 6! **

**Please leave a review if you liked this chapter. **


	6. The Lin Kuei palace

**Thank you to all the lovely people who reviewed my story. This chapter is slightly longer than the previous ones. Here we find out who hired the Lin Kuei to kidnap Nyssa and why. Hope you enjoy and please leave a review. **

**Chapter 6 – The Lin Kuei palace.**

_Somewhere in the Himalayas..._

Nyssa had never felt more miserable in her short life. In order to avoid detection, the assassins had taken her on an hour and three quarters flight to Beijing before getting on another plane that took them to Nepal. Almost nine hours later, they landed in Kathmandu before getting in a car and driving for over seven hours to a small town called Tingri in Southern Tibet that she knew was used as a base by mountain climbers preparing to ascend Mount Everest or the surrounding mountains.

And that was exactly what they were doing now.

The assassins had given Nyssa thermal socks, gloves and a coat to stop her from freezing in the snow covered mountains but they refused to help her as the four of them hiked up the mountain. Nyssa was cold, wet, tired, and hungry and her legs and back ached from walking through the thick snow whilst carrying her duffel bag that had seemed to grow heavier as the journey went on. But she didn't dare complain or cry. She'd screamed, struggled and cried when they had reached the airport and the leader of the assassins beat her with his belt and had threatened to do it again if she so much as asked for a glass of water. That had frightened her into staying silent for the rest of the journey.

"Almost there now," said one of the assassins, breaking the silence that had fallen over them hours before.

"Just as well. It's getting dark," said the leader. Nyssa looked around and saw that the snow covered forest they'd been walking through had indeed become considerably darker. She then looked over to the mountain and saw that the sun was disappearing behind the peak, colouring the sky red and orange. Nyssa's heart sank in her chest as she realised that she'd been away from her home for almost three days. She wondered if Liu Kang and Kung Lao were missing her. She wondered if Raiden and Fujin had noticed her disappearance and were looking for her. She hoped so.

"Keep up, girl. The Lin Kuei temples can only be found by those who already know where it is," said the leader sharply, bringing Nyssa out of her trance.

"And if you get lost in this forest, no one will come to help you. There are many wild beasts in these forests. Bears, wolves, even tigers and snow leopards. You'd be dead by the morning," mocked one of the others cruelly. Nyssa went white with fear and hurried after them, despite her legs screaming in protest. As much as she admired wildlife, she knew that the wilderness of the Himalayas was perilous.

The trees eventually thinned out and the four of them came to the bottom of a steep, snow covered hill. Nyssa looked up and saw several large temples situated at the top of the hill. They were similar to the Shaolin temples, only much larger, and they were darker and had a sinister atmosphere. Nyssa gulped and her hands began to shake. She had a horrible feeling that she was either approaching her death or her prison.

"Let's go," said the leader sharply. He grabbed Nyssa's arm and yanked her forward as they began climbing the hill. Nyssa tried to match their pace, not wanting the assassins to beat her again, but found herself slipping and sliding in the snow which would have made her tumble back down the hill if the leader had not been holding onto her.

"You are weak and pathetic. I do not see what our Grandmaster wants with you," hissed the leader cruelly. Nyssa's eyes began to sting with tears again but she blinked them back and trudged wearily up the hill. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction.

At the top of the hill, in the courtyard, a group of people had formed and were waiting to greet them. Nyssa noticed that they all wore similar clothing, with the same symbol stitched into the cloth. The only differences were that some wore different coloured uniforms. Most wore blue ninja garb, like the three who took her. Others wore red, yellow and black. They were all tall and thick with muscle and weren't even shivering in the cold. Nyssa suddenly felt very small next to them.

As they reached the top, one assassin, who looked Asian and had grey hair and dark eyes, wearing a red uniform stepped forward and bowed to them. The three assassins bowed in return and began removing their masks. The leader was easily the eldest in his late thirties or early forties with ice blue eyes and black hair that was beginning to turn grey. The other two were much younger, in their early or mid twenties. One had dark brown hair, black eyes, thick eyebrows and a strong square jaw. The other had wavy blonde hair, deep blue eyes and a perfect straight nose.

"I see you have returned with your prize, Déshì. I take it that Andrei and Mikolaj managed to keep up with you," he asked them. The leader, Déshì, shot his companions a withering look and Andrei and Mikolaj hung their heads in shame.

"I think Andrei and Mikolaj may require more training, Asato. They were incapable of defeating merely one Shaolin monk and were knocked out. I carried them and the child most of the way," said Déshì arrogantly. Asato gave Andrei and Mikolaj a look of disgust.

"My two best pupils incapable of defeating one Shaolin monk? You dishonour me. Perhaps I shall put you back in the children's classes. Maybe that is more your speed," he said cruelly. Nyssa looked at Andrei and Mikolaj carefully and saw shame, embarrassment and anger on their faces. She almost felt sorry for them. Almost.

Asato then turned his attention to Nyssa. He looked her up and down carefully, taking in every detail, making Nyssa feel like she was being x-rayed. He then shook his head and rolled his eyes in disgust.

"She is nothing but a scrawny slip of a girl. What on earth does the Grandmaster want with her?" he asked. Nyssa let the insult slide. She'd already heard it about twenty times over the past three days and was used to it now. She also knew that if she answered back, she'd be beaten and she didn't want that.

"I have asked myself that several times. But we shall soon find out. I will take her to the Grandmaster," said Déshì, grabbing Nyssa roughly again and dragging her through the front door of the temple. The huge oak doors creaked as they swung shut behind them as the assassins and Nyssa walked inside. The inside of the temple was dark and gloomy, despite the many flaming torches that were placed along the corridors. The walls were decorated with various colourful paintings and tapestries and there were many glass cabinets containing weapons or ancient artefacts. The Lin Kuei temple looked as though it were a cross between a Buddhist temple and a museum.

The assassins dispersed and they went away to attend to various tasks. Asato ordered Andrei and Mikolaj to follow him, leaving Nyssa alone with Déshì.

"Follow me, girl," he ordered and he started walking down one of the corridors. Nyssa hurried after him, not wanting to get lost in such a huge temple. They had walked past several dojos, training grounds and classrooms and Nyssa noticed that the vast majority of the inhabitants were male. So far, Nyssa had only seen two women and they had both been cleaning one of the dojos. Would that be her, if they made her stay here? Nothing more than a serving girl?

Déshì walked her through a large and spacious room that was filled with tables and chairs. Nyssa noticed many children, again all male, seated and surrounded by books. They looked as though they were studying. As they walked past, many of the boys stared at Nyssa as though they'd never seen a girl in their life.

"Get back to work!" snapped Déshì, prompting the boys to snap their eyes back to their books. Déshì pulled on Nyssa's arm and led her out of the hall and into another long corridor. At the other end, there was a large door painted gold. The carvings on the wood matched the symbols that the assassins wore on their uniforms.

"If you want my advice, you will speak only when you are spoken to," said Déshì coldly. Nyssa opened her mouth to ask why but he had such a grim facial expression that she held her tongue. She didn't think she'd ever gone for so long without speaking.

Déshì knocked politely on the door and waited patiently until a voice called for him to enter. Déshì pushed the doors open and pulled Nyssa inside the Grandmaster's chambers. The layout of the room was similar to Grandmaster Yuán's chambers, but they were darker and colder, despite the large, roaring fire that had been lit in the fireplace. In front of the fire stood two men. One was a middle aged Chinese man, with greying hair and cruel dark eyes. He wore black and red robes that made him look like a priest and he had around his neck a stone medallion with a dragon carved into it. The other man was bald and had skin as white as snow. He was shirtless, with allowed him to display the various markings and tattoos he sported. Out of the three men, Nyssa wasn't sure which one she was most afraid of.

Déshì pushed Nyssa to her knees before bowing deeply to the other two.

"Grandmaster Oniro...Quan Chi...I have brought you the girl as you requested," said Déshì.

"Well done, Avalanche. I knew you would not fail," said the Grandmaster, who looked very pleased. The pale man walked slowly towards Nyssa and examined her carefully.

"What is your name, child?" asked the Grandmaster.

"Hua Nyssa..." she replied and braced herself in case Déshì hit her again. His blow never came.

"So this is the offspring of Shao Kahn...I expected more..." said the Grandmaster, giving Nyssa a nasty look.

"Do not let appearances fool you, Oniro. She may be quiet and meek but she is more powerful than any of us here. She just doesn't know it yet. She hasn't realised her full potential," said Quan Chi. His voice was deep and his eyes gleaming red in the light of the fire.

"I'm not powerful!" Nyssa spoke out suddenly. "I'm just a little girl!"

Déshì gave her a quick clip around the ear, that stung painfully, whilst Quan Chi let out a deep chuckle.

"You are much more than just a little girl, Nyssa. Otherwise I would not have spent seven years searching for you. Raiden clearly never told you about your parentage, did he? About your mother and father..."

"Raiden is my true father. I don't care who my parents are," she said coldly. She recalled the time when Raiden had offered to tell her of her birth parents but Nyssa had replied that she didn't care who her parents were as long as she had Raiden. She remembered the sad smile he'd given her.

Quan Chi, however, laughed again.

"Foolish girl. Your father is Shao Kahn, the Emperor of Outworld and conqueror of the realms. Your mother was a weak, Edenian Queen who gave you to the Thunder God in order to protect you from your father before taking her own life. It would have worked had I not claimed your mother's soul as she died. That is how I was made aware of your existence," said Quan Chi. Nyssa's fists clenched angrily and she stared at the floor. He would not get a rise out of her.

"I am a necromancer, you see. When your mother died I was suspicious of the circumstances of her death so when her soul entered the Netherrealm, I claimed her. I tortured her for several months before all sorts of secrets began tumbling out. After she told me what happened, I started tracking the Thunder God's movements and found it strange that he frequently visited the Shaolin temples. It didn't take long for me to discover where he kept you. I'm almost tempted to bring you to the Netherrealm so your pathetic mother can see how spectacularly she and Raiden failed at hiding you from Shao Kahn," said Quan Chi, grinning maliciously at her. Nyssa lifted her eyes and glared at him, whilst angry tears slid down her cheeks.

"Raiden will find me. I know he will. He'll come and rescue me and then you'll be sorry!" she shouted, but the adults laughed at her nastily before turning away from her.

"You had us abduct her so you could take her back to Outworld to reunite with her father?" asked Oniro.

"Raiden is my father!" she interrupted angrily which earned her another slap from Déshì.

"That was the original plan, but now I see how weak and defiant she is. I can only imagine how disappointed the Emperor would be if I told him that his only child lives and then presented this to him. She would not last a minute in Outworld. She will remain here with the Lin Kuei. You will raise her to be one of your finest assassins...after you break her spirit of course. Then I will return for her," said Quan Chi. Déshì and Oniro fidgeted uncomfortably and didn't look happy with Quan Chi's order.

"What makes you think she will survive life in the Lin Kuei? You said it yourself; she is weak at present," said Oniro. Quan Chi merely smiled evilly.

"Well...we shall see if she is indeed her father's daughter..." he said, before raising his fist. A green aura surrounded his clenched fist and a bright green and black portal appeared in the room. Quan Chi gave Nyssa one final look before stepping through the portal and disappearing from sight. There was a long silence that filled the room after the necromancer left. Oniro and Déshì still did not look happy with the arrangement.

"Surely we cannot allow her to remain here. The Lin Kuei already has one female student and look at all the fuss that that caused. She is weak and pathetic and will not last a week here," said Déshì coldly.

"You heard Quan Chi. She will remain here and we will train her. We'll beat any compassion and kindness out of her," said Oniro nastily. He then walked over to Nyssa and grabbed her duffel bag. He opened it and rummaged through and a look of disgust appeared on his face as he pulled out Sakura and Yukie. He held them as though he were holding dirty clothes.

"Dolls and soft toys? You will not be needing these whilst you are here," said Oniro coldly before he tossed the two of them on the fire.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Nyssa as Sakura and Yukie caught fire and began burning. Forgetting that she was small and seven years old and in the presence of deadly assassins, Nyssa flung herself forward and began hitting the Lin Kuei Grandmaster with her tiny fists. Her blows didn't inflict any pain on the seasoned warrior but the fact that she even had the audacity to strike the Grandmaster was enough for him to raise his fist and backhand her across the face, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.

Nyssa sobbed quietly and gently cupped the left side of her face that was throbbing painfully from his strike. She looked up at Oniro fearfully as he stood over her. Her eyes widened in horror as he drew a dagger from his robes and grabbed her hair, yanking her to her feet. Nyssa covered her neck with her hands, fearing that Oniro was going to slice her throat. Instead, Nyssa felt the blade slice through her hair before Oniro pushed her away from him.

"From now on, you will address me as 'sifu' or 'Grandmaster' and if you ever raise your hand against me again, it will be the last time you have hands. Take her away and put her in Xueman's room. A few days locked up with no food should give her an attitude adjustment," ordered the Grandmaster, tossing Nyssa's hair into the fire and kicking her duffel bag back to her. Déshì grabbed her roughly by the scruff of her neck and dragged her out of the Grandmaster's chambers.

"Let me go! Just you wait until Raiden finds me! He'll destroy you!" shouted Nyssa, hitting and scratching at Déshì's hand, trying to make him let go of her.

"The Thunder God won't be able to find you here, you little bitch. No one leaves the Lin Kuei so you may as well get used to it unless you wish to die. It's up to you but the second option is much preferable to me," snarled Déshì as he dragged her down the corridor.

"You don't know Raiden! He'll find me! Just you wait and see!" hissed Nyssa, still struggling against him. Déshì yanked open one of the doors and threw Nyssa inside, making her trip over.

"Let's see how spirited you are after three days without food and freedom and a good beating," said Déshì, as he started removing his belt and then grabbed her arm. Nyssa yelped in pain as the belt struck her lower back and fresh tears sprung up in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

"Stop crying, you weakling. This is nothing compared to the beatings I received as a child!" snapped Déshì, raising the belt again. Nyssa winced and tried to blink back her tears but couldn't help it. She'd never been beating in her entire life until now. He hit her again four more times before he put his belt back on. By then, Nyssa could barely stand.

"You are not to leave this room unless permitted. If you are caught outside, your beatings will be much worse than that," he said, glaring down at her. He then turned on his heel and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Nyssa continued to lie on the floor for several moments, allowing her body to recover from the shock and crying softly. She wasn't sure if she was crying from the pain or the shock of losing Yukie and Sakura and the thought of being trapped in the Lin Kuei temple for the rest of her life. Maybe it was all three...

Her back and legs ached painfully as she finally managed to pick herself up. She looked up and studied her new room carefully. It was even more bare than her room in the Shaolin temple. There were two small single beds with a small bed side cabinet each with a small lamp. There was no wardrobe; just a large wooden chest. Nyssa peaked inside and saw a small pile of clothes neatly folded in the corner as well as a couple of books. There was also a meditation mat and some candles and matches.

Nyssa then noticed another door in the room which led to a small ensuite bathroom that had a toilet, sink and a walk in shower curtain as well as a small self with towels folded on it. Nyssa frowned sadly and suddenly wished she'd taken advantage of the baths that the Shaolin temple had. The thought of a warm, relaxing bubble bath was suddenly oh-so appealing but she didn't think she'd ever get one around here.

She trudged wearily back into the bedroom and sat on one of the beds, relieving her aching legs from carrying her weight. Her eyelids suddenly felt extremely heavy due to the lack of sleep she had over the past three days. She thought that she'd had approximately eight hours sleep since she was taken. She'd been too scared to sleep for more than an hour at a time, no matter how tired she felt. She lay down on the bed and rested her head on the pillow, not bothering to change into her pyjamas. She was just about to close her eyes and take a nap, when the door burst open suddenly, hitting the wall with a loud bang.

"What the hell are you doing on my bed?" snapped a female voice. Nyssa bolted upright as though she'd been electrocuted, and leapt to her feet. Standing in the doorway was a short and skinny girl with spiky, white hair and was glaring at Nyssa with ice blue eyes. She wore a blue Lin Kuei uniform and her arms were folded across her chest. Behind her stood three other boys, two dressed in blue and the other in black.

"That's my bed you were sitting on!" said the girl angrily.

"I'm s-sorry! I d-didn't know this was your b-bed," stammered Nyssa, grabbing her bag and moving as far away as possible from the bed. The other girl still didn't seem happy and stomped over to Nyssa. She was several inches shorter than Nyssa but she still cowered under the strange girl's glare. The white haired girl had haughty and arrogant features and looked decidedly unimpressed with Nyssa.

"Sifu Déshì told me that I'd have to share my room now. I don't see why, considering there's a perfectly good attic above the stables. If I catch you touching my bed or any of my things again, I will lock you up there with the bats and rats and spiders!" hissed the girl. Nyssa's face went white as a sheet. She hated bats and spiders.

"No! Please don't! I'm sorry! I promise I won't touch your stuff!" whimpered Nyssa, backing away into the corner of the room.

"You better not! Or else I'll-"

"Xueman, leave her alone. You're scaring her!" one of the boys, stepping forward and grabbing Xueman's arm.

"I hope so! It'll teach her to stay out of my way!" snarled Xueman, pulling her arm free, but taking a step backwards. The boy looked at Nyssa carefully. He had jet black hair that was growing long and he had ice blue eyes. He looked older than Nyssa and the others – maybe ten or eleven years old.

"What is your name?" asked the boy curiously.

"Nyssa..." she mumbled. Although he wasn't aggressive, like Xueman, he had a cold and uncaring look to him. He seemed to be the leader amongst the four children, judging by the way the others held back and let him approach Nyssa first.

"I am Bi-Han. This is my brother, Kuai Liang," he said, pointing to the boy who looked almost identical to Bi-Han, except he was several inches shorter and had short hair. "This is our friend, Tomas," he then pointed to the second boy, who had long, silver hair tied back into a loose ponytail.

"And this is Xueman. You two will be sharing rooms from now on, so you'll have to learn how to get along," said Bi-Han. His eyes narrowed as he inspected Nyssa and his brow knotted as a frown formed on his face.

"What?" Nyssa demanded. She'd had enough of people inspecting her for one day.

"You are the one that my father was sent to kidnap from the Shaolin temples. He said that it was extremely important that you be brought here. I thought you would be...different..." said Bi-Han. Suddenly, he grabbed her arm and gave it a sharp and painful pinch. Nyssa yelped in pain and shoved him away from her with all her strength – which wasn't much considering her recent beatings.

"What was that for?" she demanded, rubbing the spot where he pinched her.

"Just wanted to see if anything would happen. Everyone's been talking about you. How you're supposed to be the daughter of some all-powerful war lord or sorcerer or something. I wanted to see if you could turn me into a frog or something if I hurt you. But you're nothing special..." he said coldly before turning on his heel and walking out of the room.

"If I could turn people into frogs, then this temple would only be populated by frogs by now!" Nyssa shouted after his retreating back. Bi-Han snorted derisively before walking out of the bedroom. Xueman, Kuai Liang, and Tomas looked after him and back at Nyssa.

"Don't touch my stuff!" snapped Xueman before hurrying after Bi-Han. Kuai Liang and Tomas lingered there for a moment, making sure that Bi-Han and Xueman were gone. They then dug around in the pockets of their uniform and brought out a small roll and an apple.

"Here. You must be hungry. Sorry we couldn't get anymore," said Kuai Liang offering her the food. By now, Nyssa was so hungry that she greedily snatched the roll from him and devoured it within seconds before grabbing the apple.

"It hard here. We help," said Tomas, smiling at her. He spoke broken English with a heavy accent that Nyssa didn't recognise. Nyssa sniffed loudly and tears began trickling down her cheeks again.

"I want to go home..." she wept quietly. Kuai and Tomas fidgeted uncomfortably. They weren't accustomed to dealing with crying girls and were clearly distressed by her sadness.

"I know. Tomas was like that when he first arrived about a year ago. You'll get used to it around here," said Kuai Liang, trying his best to be comforting.

"After punishment, you come. Sit with us. We help, just like Kuai help me," said Tomas kindly. Nyssa sighed heavily in annoyance. She wished he hadn't said that.

"I'd like to be alone now, please," said Nyssa, staring at the floor. She knew they were trying to be friendly and wanted to help her get used to life in the Lin Kuei, but Nyssa didn't want help. She didn't want to get used to being in the Lin Kuei. She was clinging to the hope that Raiden would come bursting through the doors and rescue her.

Kuai and Tomas nodded in understanding and walked towards the door.

"We'll come back tomorrow. We'll try and sneak you some more food," said Kuai Liang before he and Tomas walked out and closed the door behind them. Nyssa walked towards the other bed and placed her duffel bag onto it, digging out her plain cotton pyjamas. She peeled off her now filthy Shaolin robes and put her pyjamas on before climbing into bed. The mattress and pillows were old and firm, but the blankets were thick and cosy, so that was a small bonus.

Nyssa curled into a ball, wishing that she still had Yukie to cuddle up with, wishing that she could fall asleep listening to Liu Kang and Kung Lao chatting away. She missed her friends and she missed her home in the Shaolin temples.

"Raiden...please come and find me," she whispered mournfully.

That night, she cried herself to sleep...

**END OF CHAPTER SIX!**

**So it's turns out that Quan Chi was the one who wanted Nyssa. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**By the way, Déshì means 'a man of virtue' which I have used ironically. There is no way that he is virtuous. And Xueman means 'snowy grace', which I thought was a good name. Hope you agree!**

**Please review, as long as it's nice. **


	7. The Witch

**Hello to my lovely followers and reviewers! **

**In case any one was worrying; no, I'm not dead. But I've gone to work in Spain over the summer as an au pair and finding the time to sit down and write my story has been increasingly difficult. But here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter seven – The Witch. **

_A few days later..._

The wind howled loudly and whirled snow into the air, creating a fierce blizzard that prevented Raiden from seeing more than ten feet ahead of himself. It would have chilled him to the bone had he not worn his thick travelling cloak and thermal clothing. If anyone could have seen him wandering around the peak of Mount Everest in a snow storm like this, they would have thought him mad.

_'Maybe I am mad...'_ thought Raiden miserably, as he cast one last desperate look at his surroundings. Once he realised that the Lin Kuei had taken Nyssa, he immediately teleported himself here. He'd been to the Lin Kuei temple many times in the past so he had been certain that he would have been able to storm the temples and take Nyssa back, striking down anyone who stood in his way. But once he'd arrived in the snowy mountains, he had a shock. He searched the mountains high and low for almost a week and had found no trace or evidence that a clan of assassins lived up in the mountains. He'd called upon his fellow Gods and Goddesses to help him search the mountains as well, just to make sure that Raiden hadn't missed anything. Fujin, Suijin, Omoikane and Uzume had responded to his plea for help, as well as his old friend, Bo Rai Cho, but the other Gods had returned empty handed. By now Raiden was starting to see the futility of the situation and he started to fear that Nyssa was lost for good.

"I should have found her by now. The more time that passes, the more she slips through my fingers..." said Raiden, his voice full of despair, as he looked down the mountains one last time. But he knew it was no good. The snow was too thick to see through so there was no chance of him finding Nyssa tonight.

He'd never felt more furious and ashamed of himself before in his entire life – and that was saying something, considering how long he had lived for. Sindel had trusted him to guard and raise this little girl and he had allowed her to be taken. Fujin had repeatedly told Raiden that he wasn't to blame for Nyssa's kidnapping and had done his best to comfort his friend as well as search for Nyssa, but Raiden still blamed himself. He knew that his frequent visits to the Shaolin temple would draw unwelcome attention, yet he could not keep himself away. He took his role as Nyssa's guardian very seriously and he'd been determined to make sure that she was happy and protected, despite Omoikane's warnings that people would start to notice. Now he was paying the price for not listening to the God of wisdom and intelligence.

"If only I had listened to Omoikane, instead of calling him a fool and accusing him of not caring for Nyssa..." said Raiden sadly, as he began walking down the mountain. He just wanted to check one last time before retiring for the night. He'd barely walked for five minutes before there was a powerful gust of wind which indicated the arrival of the Wind God.

"Fujin, I am not ready to...Oh...Hello, my friends..." said Raiden heavily, as he realised that Fujin had brought Omoikane, Suijin and Uzume with him.

Like Raiden and Fujin, the other three had glowing blue eyes and long white hair. Omoikane wore his white hair is a tight upknot, wore black and white robes and there were various scrolls attached to the gold rope belt that he wore around his waist. Suijin, the God of Water, wore his white hair in a low ponytail and wore a similar outfit to Fujin – a blue vest and black trousers. He wore sandals on his feet and carried a silver, lethal-looking trident on his back as well as a fishing rod. Uzume, the Goddess of dawn and revelry, wore her white hair up, decorated with a kanzashi and wore a white and gold kimono that covered her feet.

There was only one reason that Raiden could think of for why they were here; to make him give up on his quest.

"They wanted to come with me," said Fujin when he noticed the sad look on the Thunder God's face.

"Raiden...you need to come home. You've been searching the mountains for days now. You need to rest..." said Uzume gently.

"I can't...Not just yet. I know I can find her out here..." said Raiden stubbornly.

"Brother, listen to Uzume. Even us Gods are not completely impervious to the harsh climate of the Himalayas," said Omoikane wisely. Raiden knew his friends were right but he couldn't give up just yet.

"I just need a little more time..." said Raiden. Suijin stepped forward and gently placed his hand on Raiden's shoulder.

"Do not do this to yourself, Raiden. You were the same when Amaterasu disappeared all those years ago. There are some things that we cannot control," said Suijin comfortingly.

"We will find Nyssa, brother. But you cannot run yourself into the ground as you do so. You need your strength. We will resume our search in the morning," said Uzume, smiling kindly at him. Raiden clenched and unclenched his fists in frustration. The rational part of his brain was grateful for the others' help and knew that they were right about him saving his strength. But another part of him just couldn't bear to give up just yet.

"I had warned you that something like this would happen if you didn't stop visiting the girl. I warned you that people would start to notice but you didn't listen to me. And now you seem determined to kill yourself trying to find the poor girl," said Omoikane disapprovingly, which earned him glares from Uzume and Fujin.

"Just let me continue for another hour. If I have not found her, then I will return home. Just one more hour," said Raiden. The others exchanged sad looks and shook their heads.

"I will stay with you and make sure you return within the hour. Perhaps I can use my powers to calm the storm momentarily," suggested Fujin.

"Me too. I may be able to make the snow decrease," said Suijin. Raiden thanked the two of them whilst Uzume and Omoikane joined hands.

"Well you three can freeze out here. I, for one, hear my kettle boiling. Stay safe," said Omoikane, as Uzume raised her fist. A golden aura surrounded the two of them and they disappeared in a flash of light.

"Now, let's see what we can do about this snow storm!" said Fujin, clapping his hands together whilst Suijin grabbed his trident and waved it through the air. The wind and the snow swirled wildly through the air as Fujin and Suijin worked their magic, before it disappeared entirely. Even though it was still dark, the mountains were now lit up by the bright, full moon and the twinkling stars.

"Let's get a move on then. We can't hold off the storm for long," said Suijin as the three of them began heading down the mountain.

"When was the last time you visited the Lin Kuei temple?" asked Fujin.

"It was about thirty years ago. I found the temple on top of a hill, on the edge of the deep forest on the North side of Mount Everest. I remember it so distinctly because it was the last time I travelled with Amaterasu before she disappeared. They should still be here. There is no indication that they ever left the Himalayas," said Raiden.

"There's also a heavy trace of magic in the air that wasn't here before. Can't you sense it? Someone has placed an enchantment on the mountains," asked Suijin. Raiden closed his eyes and concentrated. Suijin was right. There was a lot of magic in the atmosphere. A deep, powerful magic that Raiden didn't recognise.

"It makes sense doesn't it? The Lin Kuei are the most dangerous and most elusive of all of Earthrealm's assassins. Maybe they found a way to disappear completely in order to avoid detection and interference," suggested Fujin.

"But us and the Elder Gods are the only ones who can place an enchantment that powerful. We know Shinnok is not behind this because he is still trapped in the Netherrealm..." said Raiden. The three of them had now made it to the edge of the forest. If they continued heading east through the forest, they should eventually come to the hill where the Lin Kuei temple is situated. Or so Raiden hoped.

The three of them continued through the trees in silence, their guards up and eyes peeled. The snow grew thicker and deeper as they walked further into the woods and it slowed them down considerably as their feet sank several inches into the snow. It was so quiet that Raiden's ears were sensitive to every sigh of the wind and every cracking twig.

"Wait!" said Suijin suddenly and he froze mid step. Raiden and Suijin looked at him in confusion.

"What is it?" asked Fujin.

"I can sense Nyssa's aura. And three others. It's faint but she's definitely been through here. Her kidnappers took her through here!" said Suijin excitedly. Raiden and Fujin concentrated and focused their powers and, to Raiden's delight, he was able to pick up on the faint trace of Nyssa's aura, as well as the assassins. The strongest aura was that of a Chinese man – a cryomancer – named Déshì. Sparks of electricity flew from Raiden's fist as a wave of anger coursed through him. He knew who he'd kill first for taking Nyssa away from him.

"Quick! This way!" said Raiden. He and Fujin started running through the trees, following the trace of Nyssa's aura.

"STOP! THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE OUT HERE!" shouted Suijin, holding out his hand to stop his friends but it was too late.

Long, black tendrils materialised from the shadows of the trees and lashed out at Raiden and Fujin, wrapping themselves around their arms and legs. Raiden and Fujin tripped over and rolled around in the snow, struggling to break free of their bonds. Raiden glanced over at Suijin and saw him draw his trident as several other tendrils came shooting towards him and he slashed his trident through the air. Some of the tendrils were sliced apart by Suijin's lethal trident but others dodged the trident's head and caught Suijin around the throat. Choking, Suijin took one hand off the handle of his trident to try and loosen the shadowy tendrils around his neck, but that was a mistake. His grip on his trident was now weakened and the vines twisted it out of his hand, before wrapping around his wrists and legs, lifting him into the air.

"What is this magic?" gasped Fujin, twisting his wrists in an attempt to break free. But it was no good. The three of them were trapped.

"Brace yourselves," said Raiden, squeezing his eyes shut in concentration. Electricity surrounded his wrists and flowed through the tendrils. Raiden took great care to use just enough lightning to shock the tendrils and not his friends. A loud shriek of pain filled the air. They spasmed uncontrollably as a reaction to the electricity and loosened their hold on the Gods and recoiled away.

Scrambling to their feet, the three of them grouped together and all assumed their stances, ready to fight back, just in case whatever it was that attacked them returned.

"It's still out there..." murmured Suijin, raising his trident defensively.

"Whatever foul entity resides here, show yourself!" demanded Raiden, lighting up his hands with sparks again. Raiden squinted his eyes so he could see through the dark and saw that the shadowy tendrils were retreating and wrapping themselves around a tall, slender, female figure. She was almost naked – the only clothing she wore were black rags that barely covered her breasts and bottom. Her black hair and clothing emphasised her ghost-like, white skin.

She suddenly spread her arms wide and two large balls of fire materialised in her hands. Suijin created a wall of water around the three of them as she threw the fire at them, but the fireballs split in mid air like fireworks, illuminating the dark forest. She approached them slowly, dragging her feet in the snow.

"Is that an...onryō?" asked Fujin incredulously.

"_I am no spectre...I am a sorceress..a witch...Get...out..." _hissed the creature, in an echoing voice, as it got closer. Her eyes were as black as coal mines – even the sc leras were black - and they reflected the light of the fire. It looked as though her eyes were on fire.

Fujin summoned a powerful blast of wind that should have knocked her off her feet, but she held her ground as though it had not affected her in the slightest.

"_I am a servant of the Lin Kuei...This place is under my protection...You are trespassing!" _said the witch, summoning more fire balls in the palms of her hands and flung them towards the Gods. Suijin created a blast of water which extinguished the flames before they reached them. Raiden raised his hand, palm facing the sky, and summoned a bolt of lightning, hoping to strike the witch down, but she raised her arms and sent a blast of fire that stopped the lightning in it's path.

"Begone, witch! You will not stop me from finding Nyssa. The Lin Kuei will pay dearly for taking her away from me!" shouted Raiden angrily, firing more blasts of electricity at the witch. Her snake like hair came alive again and wrapped around her body, like a protective barrier, preventing her from getting shocked.

"_That girl belongs to the Lin Kuei now...My master has plans for her. The Lin Kuei will train her to be one of the greatest warriors and assassins in all the realms. Then my master will have the perfect soldier...and nothing will stop him from conquering the realms!" _declared the witch dramatically. Raiden momentarily froze in shock, ceasing his attack. Conquering the realms? Could that possibly mean that Shao Kahn had discovered Nyssa's existence?

"How did Shao Kahn discover that I had taken Nyssa? Tell me what you know, witch!" demanded Raiden.

"_Shao Kahn? My master? HA! That warmonger does not interest me. I serve a higher purpose," _laughed the witch. Raiden opened his mouth to question her again but her hair shot out like a whip and wrapped itself around Raiden's neck, wrists and ankles, completely paralysing him. Raiden gasped for breath as he struggled to free himself, but the more he moved, the tighter his bonds became. Black circles entered his vision – he was going to pass out!

Fujin and Suijin charged forward to save their friend. Fujin created a blast of wind to distract the witch. She raised her arms to protect her face from the powerful wind, whilst Suijin slashed his trident through the air and managed to sever the ties that held Raiden captive. Raiden fell to the ground with a thud, hitting his head on a rock as he went down. He tried to stand, but he was disorientated from the lack of oxygen and the blow to the head.

"We need to retreat!" grunted Fujin, still firing gusts of wind at the witch before charging forward to engage her in hand to hand combat. She deflected his blows easily, as though she were swatting a fly away.

Suijin fired a blast of water at the witch and managed to hit her directly in the face, before he lifted his trident once again and attempted to stab the witch through the middle. However, her tendrils of hair came to life once again and seized his trident before snapping it in two, as if it were a twig.

"Good idea..." said Suijin, backing away slightly.

"No..." gasped Raiden, still struggling to stand. "I am not leaving without Nyssa,"

"We will get her back, Raiden, but right now, we need to retreat. She is too strong!" said Fujin. Suijin raised his arms into the air and created a wall of water to protect them from the witch's hair and fire blasts, whilst Fujin wrapped one arm around Raiden's waist, helping him stand. Fujin raised his fist into the air and teleported the three of them far away from the Himalayas.

"No..." moaned Raiden, before darkness overcame him...

_Back in the Himalayas..._

The witch stood there for a few moments, staring at the ground where they had stood just moments before. She could no longer sense their presence in the mountains, much to her disappointment. She clasped her hands together and muttered a quiet incantation. Her hair went limp and grew back into her head, stopping once it reached waist length and she quickly pulled it up into a braid. The rags on her body disappeared and were replaced by a blue and black qipao dress. Her skin remained pale but her eyes returned to normal – a deep, forest green. She was now unrecognisable from the unholy monster that had just encountered the Gods.

"Well done..." came a deep voice from behind her. The witch turned and sunk into a deep bow as her master approached her slowly. Quan Chi grabbed her arm and pulled her up, taking her chin in his hand so she would look at him.

"You ejected those foolish Gods with great skill," he said praisingly.

"They will return...The girl means a lot to them," replied the witch quietly. She had seen it in their eyes and in their hearts that they would do anything to ensure Nyssa's safety, especially the Thunder God. Quan Chi chuckled darkly.

"Then I trust you will get rid of them again. You are too powerful for them. They will never find a way to defeat you," he said confidently.

"Yes, master," said the witch.

"It is essential that she never escapes. The daughter of Shao Kahn, trained and indoctrinated by Earthrealm's deadliest assassins. She will be my strongest and most dangerous weapon when I put my plan into action," declared Quan Chi.

"To restore Lord Shinnok to power and enslave the realms?" asked the witch.

"Exactly!" laughed Quan Chi evilly before he summoned a swirling, black and green portal that would take him back to the Netherrealm.

"I have business to attend to. Convincing Shang Tsung that Shao Kahn's daughter did not survive infancy is no easy task. Do not fail me," said Quan Chi, before he stepped into the portal and disappeared from sight.

"Yes, Quan Chi," said the witch obediently as she watched the necromancer depart.

**END OF CHAPTER SEVEN!**

**Well what did you think? I did some research into Japanese mythology and Omoikane, Uzume, Suijin and Amaterasu are all different Gods, like Raiden and Fujin. I thought it would be a good idea to include them, as they are not so blinded by Raiden and Fujin's care for Earthrealm and Nyssa. **

**I will try to complete chapter 8 as fast as possible. Hopefully I will find the time to do it in between my duties as an au pair. Well at least my Spanish is improving :P hahaha!**

**Stay tuned!**


	8. Training Daze

**Here we have chapter eight much sooner than expected. I was ill on Monday, spent most of the day in bed and managed to write the bulk of this chapter in one go! Go me! **

**Thanks again to the people leaving reviews and following my story. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

**Chapter 8 – Training Daze. **

_Nyssa shut her eyes tightly to avoid being blinded by the flash of lightning and covered her ears so she wouldn't hear the assassins' screams of agony. Even though she hated them for kidnapping her, she didn't want to watch them die. That would be inhumane. _

"_Open your eyes, my little snow leopard. You are safe. I am here now," came a deep and gentle voice. Nyssa's heart leapt at the sound of Raiden's voice and she looked up eagerly into his glowing blue eyes that were crinkled with a smile. _

"_Raiden! You found me!" Nyssa cried happily, shooting forward and throwing herself into the Thunder God's arms. Raiden picked her up and swung her around in a circle before hugging her tightly to his chest. Nyssa wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him back, feeling safe once again. _

"_I will always find you...You cannot hide from me..." said Raiden, his voice suddenly deep and menacing. Nyssa's eyes snapped open and she looked up in shock as Raiden's glowing eyes turned red. The Thunder God transformed before her into the pale, bald man who had orchestrated her capture. _

"_Quan Chi?" she gasped, suddenly trying to push away from him, but his grip was too tight._

"_You belong to me..." said Quan Chi, laughing evilly. His wrists glowed green and a portal appeared behind them. _

"_NO! Don't take me to the Netherrealm!" screamed Nyssa. She struggled in his arms, hitting, biting and scratching any part of him that she could reach, but he just took her blows and carried her towards the portal, laughing all the way..._

"NO!" yelped Nyssa again, as she sat bolt upright in her bed, drenched in cold sweat and panting heavily.

"Ugh...will you please stop with the nightmares? It's getting ridiculous now," came a cold, snooty voice from across the room. Nyssa surveyed her surroundings and remembered that she was still in the Lin Kuei temple, in her small and simple room that she had to share with Xueman. The younger girl was already out of bed and had almost finished dressing herself in her blue and black uniform.

"Sorry..." mumbled Nyssa, hanging her head in disappointment that she was still trapped in the Lin Kuei temple. At least it was better than being taken to the Netherrealm...

"You better get up, get dressed and come to breakfast. Your three days are up so you're expected to study and train with the rest of us now. And if you want my advice, you won't be late. Sifu Mikhail is teaching our group today and he'll knock your teeth out if you're late..." said Xueman haughtily. The tone of voice she used made it sound like she couldn't care less if Nyssa arrived late or not.

Nyssa pushed the covers back and reluctantly heaved herself out of bed. She went over to the wooden chest and took out her own uniform that she had been given the day before by a serving girl, who only spoke Cantonese, a language that Nyssa didn't understand. Nyssa tried to dress herself quickly, as she heard Xueman tapping her foot impatiently. She sighed, exasperated, as she watched Nyssa struggle to tie her belt.

"You don't have to wait for me, y'know..." said Nyssa, starting to feel agitated by Xueman's behaviour.

"I have to show you the way to the main hall, the classrooms and the dojos. Everyone knows that we're sharing a room, so if I turn up to class without you, I'll get beaten for leaving you behind. So get a move on!" snapped Xueman. She stomped over to Nyssa and swiftly fastened the older girl's belt for her.

"Thanks..." said Nyssa, before she grabbed her hairbrush and went into the bathroom to style her hair. Nyssa had cried very hard when she finally looked in the mirror and saw what the Grandmaster had done to her hair. Her once long and luscious locks were now short and spiky, reaching an inch below her chin. Sighing heavily upon seeing her reflection once again, Nyssa began to de-tangle her hair before braiding it tightly against her head. She knew she would have to participate in training today, so she didn't want her hair to get in her face or for anyone to pull it during a sparring match. She also put in some of her plain bobby pins so the braid wouldn't fall out.

"Will you just hurry up? I don't know who you're trying to impress. No one cares what you look like here," said Xueman. Nyssa opened her mouth to explain, but decided against it. She got the feeling that Xueman wouldn't care for her reasoning.

"I'm ready," said Nyssa, coming out of the bathroom. Xueman then grabbed Nyssa's arm and practically dragged her out of their bedroom.

"Ok! Ok, you can stop pulling now!" said Nyssa, yanking her arm back. Xueman possessed a very strong and painful grip, which was surprising, given her small stature. Nyssa followed the smaller girl closely as they walked down the hallways and paid careful attention to the route they were taking. She didn't want to have to rely on Xueman in the future. The two of them finally reached a pair of large oak doors, that would take them into the main hall where everyone would be eating, when Xueman held out her arm to stop Nyssa in her tracks.

"Don't even think about sitting next to me. You can sit in the back on your own and I'll come and find you at the end," said Xueman. She then pushed the doors open and hurried inside, determined to get as far away from Nyssa as possible.

"Didn't want to sit next to you anyway..." muttered Nyssa darkly, before walking inside. The eating hall was large and spacious, almost cavernous. The stone walls were covered with various paintings and tapestries that depicted images of fierce battles between different clans of ninjas and assassins. The room was filled with men of all ages and races, sitting at long tables, talking and waiting for their breakfast that was being served by a number of tired-looking women. At the front of the room, the Grandmaster sat at a large, fancy table ladened with various golden bowls of fruit, porridge, rice and bread. He sat with two other men and a boy who looked a little older than Nyssa. She assumed that he was the Grandmasters son.

"Nyssa! Come and sit with us!" came a familiar voice. Nyssa looked over and saw Kuai Liang and Tomas, the two boys who secretly brought her food on her first night, waving at her from two tables away. They were sitting with Bi-Han, Kuai's older brother, three other boys and Xueman, who was glaring at Kuai and Tomas. Nyssa felt uncertain and didn't move. She didn't particularly want to spend more time with Xueman, but she didn't want to be on her own, so she slowly made her way over to their table.

"Ugh. Switch seats with me, Matteo," said Xueman as Nyssa came closer. Tomas pulled a stool out so Nyssa could sit down next to him, and Kuai Liang handed her a bowl and spoon for her breakfast. Bi-Han and Xueman ignored Nyssa completely, whilst the other three boys looked at her with interest.

"Thank you for inviting me over," said Nyssa politely.

"You are welcome, Nee-sa. You can sit with us all the time," said Tomas, grinning toothily at her.

"This is Matteo, Rickard and Tabansi. They'll be in the same class as us," said Kuai Liang, introducing all of the boys. Matteo had dark hair, dark eyes and olive skin, Rickard was Caucasian and had blonde hair and Tabansi was African and wore his hair in short dreadlocks.

"Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Nyssa," said Nyssa., hoping that these three would treat her better than her room mate.

"Shhhhh! Don't start talking just yet! The Grandmaster is about to speak!" hissed Bi-Han, staring up at the main table where Oniro was seated. The children sat up attentively and watched as Oniro stood up to address his assassins.

"_You may rise!" _he called out in Mandarin. Nyssa watched as everyone around her got to their feet and turned to face the front, placing their clenched right fists over their hearts. Nyssa imitated them, not wanting to look out of place.

"_We are the Lin Kuei, more stealthful than the night, more deadly than the dawn!"_ the entire room chorused in Mandarin before bowing to the Grandmaster. Nyssa figured that this must be their mantra, so she moved her lips along with the others so it looked like she was joining in. Oniro seated himself once again and the assassins followed suit. The serving girls began moving up and down the tables, spooning porridge into the assassins' bowls and handing out fruit. No one had resumed talking; Nyssa assumed that it was considered rude to talk whilst waiting for the food to be served, so she waited patiently for her turn.

"Thank you," said Nyssa politely as the woman served her some porridge and a banana. Nyssa felt the other children stare incredulously at her and the serving woman looked at Nyssa with a shocked expression before moving on.

"What did I do?" asked Nyssa, confused.

"They're servants. No one ever thanks them for doing their job," explained Tabansi. Nyssa looked surprised. Thanking someone was just good manners. But she decided to not dwell on the matter, as the chatter slowly restarted in the hall as the assassins started eating their breakfast. Nyssa looked at the banana with disdain – she hated bananas – so she decided to eat a spoonful of her porridge. She almost grimaced in disgust. The porridge was made with water, instead of milk, and had no sugar or honey to sweeten the flavour. But Nyssa had no eaten a lot over the past three days, so she forced herself to eat the porridge.

"So, Nyssa, how did you come to be here?" asked Tabansi suddenly. Nyssa's finger twitched irritably at the reminder of her abduction and she scowled angrily. Kuai Liang seemed to sense this, because he answered for her.

"She arrived on Tuesday. Father had been ordered to find her and bring her here. She's to start training with us soon," he explained.

"You must be incredibly special if the Grandmaster agreed to train you here. Can you fight?" asked Rickard curiously.

"I was training in the Shaolin temples, but I'm not special. I don't know why everyone keeps thinking that I am," Nyssa mumbled unhappily, wishing the conversation would go somewhere else.

"_Perché stavi addestrando per essere un Shaolin? Non sembrano essere asiatico?"_ asked Matteo, cocking his head to the side out of curiosity.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh. Matteo doesn't speak English or Mandarin yet," explained Kuai Liang.

"He speak only Italian. He not learn English for very long or Mandarin. But we have Rickard for translating!" said Tomas.

"He may not speak English, but he does understand somehow. He wants to know why you were training to be a Shaolin. You don't look Asian so we're wondering how you came to be in the Shaolin temples," translated Rickard.

"I don't know. I have lived there for my entire life and my masters told me that I've been training since I started walking," said Nyssa nonchalantly. The others, however, seemed to be impressed.

"_Eccezionale!" _claimed Matteo, grinning at Nyssa in amazement.

"Wow! You must be pretty good then!" said Kuai Liang admiringly. Nyssa blushed bright pink at his compliment but her anger flared when Bi-Han snorted derisively and he gave her a haughty look.

"The Shaolin are nothing special compared to the Lin Kuei. Father told me that the Shaolin monks don't even train the apprentices how to kill," said Bi-Han arrogantly.

"The Shaolin monks are more than capable of killing. We just prefer not to. The first rule of the Shaolin is to only attack in self defense. We believe in the benefit of mercy," said Nyssa angrily. She couldn't help but wonder if she would still be at the Shaolin temple if she had abided to this rule, as opposed to hitting Liu Kang out of anger.

"You're in the Lin Kuei now and the first rule here is; kill or be killed. Better get used to it," replied Bi-Han, smirking coldly at her. Nyssa opted not to reply. She hoped that she would not have to become accustomed to her new life as a Lin Kuei apprentice, as she still clung to the hope that Raiden would rescue her. But she knew that she would be mocked for voicing this hope. Fortunately, at that moment, Tomas elected to change the subject, steering the conversation away from Nyssa's former home.

"You not want your banana, Nee-sa?" asked Tomas, noticing that she hadn't touched it.

"No, thank you. I don't like them," said Nyssa, trying to force down the rest of her porridge. Kuai Liang then reached across Tomas and swapped her banana for his apple. Nyssa felt her cheeks go red in embarrassment.

"Thanks, but you don't have to do that," she stammered.

"You need more than this garbage or you'll pass out in training. It happened to Bi-Han once before," said Kuai Liang, making his older brother's cheeks turn scarlet in humiliation.

"Shut up, Kuai Liang!" hissed Bi-Han, whilst the other children, with the exception of Xueman, giggled at his reaction.

"Bi-Han is gonna kick your butt in training today, Kuai Liang. And you too, little baby. Bi-Han is the strongest, fastest and best fighter out of all the apprentices. I bet he'll make you cry during training," she said snidely, flicking her banana peel at the ex-Shaolin. Nyssa ignored the tiny girl and focussed her attention on her apple.

"Butt kisser..." Nyssa muttered under her breath, prompting Tomas to snort with laughter into the glass of water that he had just raised to his lips. After several minutes, all the children had finished their breakfast and they stood up and exited the grand hall together, heading towards the dojo in which they'd be training. Bi-Han, Xueman, Rickard and Tabansi lead the way, whilst Nyssa brought up the rear with Kuai, Tomas and Matteo.

"Is there anything I should know before we go in?" asked Nyssa, not wanting to get on their teacher's bad side. She'd had enough beatings for one week.

"Don't be late," said Tomas.

"Don't talk when he's talking," said Kuai.

"_Non cadere durante il kata,"_ suggested Matteo.

"Bow before you enter and leave the room," said Tomas.

"Don't show off. Ever. He beats Bi-Han and Huiliang for trying to show up the rest of the class," said Kuai Liang.

"Who's Huiliang?" asked Nyssa.

"_Un cretino," _replied Matteo.

"He is Grandmaster's son. He is _blbec," _said Tomas.

"A what?"

"An idiot. A dumbass. Tomas only knows how to curse in Czech," explained Kuai Liang.

"It my native language. Easier to use. Also, hard to understand," said Tomas, grinning wickedly at Nyssa. The children finally arrived at the dojo and formed a line outside the door. Several other boys joined the queue and they all waited patiently for sifu Mikhail to arrive.

"Vell? Vhat are you vaiting for?" barked a loud voice that made Nyssa jump out of her skin, much to Xueman's amusement. Sifu Mikhail was a very large man in every sense of the word. He was hard and thick with muscle and his biceps were like bowling balls. He wore red and black Lin Kuei uniform and a scowl. He entered the dojo and took his place at the front of the class and waited at the front of the dojo for the students to enter. It was a rather long process, as each child had to stop to bow as they entered the room, before lining up.

"I see ve have a new student joining us today. Ve shall see vhat she can do. I vill pair you up and you vill spar. The usual rules apply; full contact and show no mercy," ordered Sifu Mikhail. He walked through the children and began pairing them together.

"Bi-Han with Rickard...Tomas with Tabansi...Kuai Liang with Xueman...Matteo with Ichiro...Huiliang with..." Sifu Mikhail's eyes scanned the crowd before settling on Nyssa. She almost glared at him, daring him to say her name. The former Shaolin attempted to be brave and daring, but secretly, she was terrified of the enormous, bear-like man.

"Huiliang, you can go vith zhe new girl..." said Sifu Mikhail, his black eyes gleaming maliciously, placing his large hand on a Chinese boy's shoulder. As Huiliang approached Nyssa, she was able to determine the similarities between the boy and the Grandmaster. The resemblance between the two was uncanny. He appeared to be a few years older than her, possibly the same age as Bi-Han, and his black eyes were cold and ruthless, like dark tunnels.

"Hmph, this will be easy..." said Huiliang arrogantly, looking down his nose at Nyssa. Nyssa clenched her fist and resisted the urge to punch him before the match even began. She and Huiliang walked over to a corner so they had plenty of room to spar and took their stances; leopard style and ninjistu respectively. Nyssa felt as though he were a lion getting ready to kill his prey...and she was the prey...

"BEGIN!" roared Mikhail loudly. His booming voice was deafening and echoed throughout the dojo.

Huiliang charged forward, attacking immediately and aggressively. He was extremely fast, light on his feet as he launched his attack. Nyssa raised her guard and threw two quick jabs as he approached her, but he ducked underneath them and side stepped, before kicking her in the stomach. He showed no mercy in his assault as he followed up his kick with a combination of open-palmed strikes and punches, catching Nyssa in the ribs and stomach. The younger apprentice was caught off-guard by the Grandmaster's son, so surprised and amazed by Huiliang's speed and technique, which allowed him to break through her guard and knock her to the ground with a painful thud.

Momentarily dazed, Nyssa remained on the floor, blinking rapidly due to her shock and massaging her ribs where he punched her. However, she didn't have time to recover, as Huiliang set upon her once again. He mounted her, straddling her hips in order to make it difficult for her to push him off, and punched her right in the face. Realising that she needed to get it together if she didn't want to be completely humiliated on her first day, Nyssa brought her guard up to her face and held strong. This allowed her a little extra time to work out a strategy, whilst also preventing Huiliang from doing any additional damage to her head.

She needed to get him off her, so she slid underneath him, just enough for her to regain control of her legs. She raised her hips and managed to hook her legs around Huiliang's neck and throw him off. Nyssa leapt gracefully to her feet and retook her stance. He would not surprise her again with fancy footwork.

Huiliang launched another high kick at Nyssa, opting to use his long and powerful legs to give him a long distance advantage. But Nyssa dropped into reverse cat stance and struck his leg with her open palms, effectively blocking his kick and throwing him off balance. Now she had her chance to attack. She knew that she needed to play it safe and not flaunt her skills and techniques in order to win, so she performed a simple but powerful combination. Before Huiliang had a chance to put up his defenses, Nyssa threw two leopard paw attacks, the first to his ribs and the second to his kidney. Huiliang wasn't going to let her beat him that easily. He threw a punch to Nyssa's head whilst her guard was still down from her attack. But Nyssa saw this coming, and ducked under his arm before pushing him away with her forearm. As the older boy stumbled, Nyssa flattened her palm like a blade and swung it forward, attempting a leopard chop to his throat.

Unfortunately, Huiliang raised his arms to block her strike before gripping her wrist tightly. He yanked her forward, aimed a powerful punch to her face and caught her right on the nose. Tears of pain sprung up in Nyssa's eyes and she felt a warm liquid trickle over her mouth and chin. She raised her hands to protect her face from anymore attacks, but Huiliang knew that she would do this and threw two stomach punches, causing her to double over, completely winded. With her balance off, Huiliang hooked his foot behind Nyssa's ankle and swept her off her feet. Nyssa hit the ground with a thud, stars winking in her eyes due to the pain, and she curled into a ball to brace herself for Huiliang's next attack. He was standing over her, his fist raised in the air, when a booming voice called out:

"_Wánchéng!" _called out Sifu Mikhail, his deep voice easily heard over the noise of the fighting. Huiliang backed away from Nyssa, a satisfied and triumphant smirk on his face.

"Better luck next time," he said mockingly as Sifu Mikhail began walking amongst the students.

"The losers can take five minutes to clean themselves up. Five minutes only! Then ve vill spar again," he barked. Not so proud to ignore her pain, Nyssa pushed herself to her feet and hurried to the side of the dojo, wanting to find something to clean her bloody nose with. Some of the other students joined her, sporting many cuts and bruises. She spotted Kuai Liang nursing a black eye and Tomas and Tabansi were dabbing pieces of tissue on cut lips.

"Wow, Huiliang did a number on you," remarked Tabansi when he spotted Nyssa.

"Is it always this brutal?" asked Nyssa weakly as she cleaned the blood away. She lightly pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to cease the blood flow.

"The first day is always the worst. You did better than some of the others," said Kuai Liang comfortingly. He took Nyssa's chin in his hand and examined her bloody nose. Emitting a sympathetic groan, he grabbed a clean piece of cloth and sprayed a thin sheet of frost over it. With a wave of his hand, he formed some ice cubes out of the frost, before wrapping them up in the cloth and handing it to Nyssa, who was gaping at him.

"That's incredible! How on earth did you do that?" she asked in amazement as she took the cloth and pressed it to her nose. Kuai Liang's pale cheeks turned pink again and he puffed himself up proudly.

"I'm a cryomancer, like my father and brother. Xueman is a cryomancer as well but we're not related. If you think that's impressive, wait till you see Bi-Han or my father in action. They can create weapons and freeze people! I'm trying to learn how to do that, but it's rather tricky," said Kuai excitedly. Before Nyssa had the chance to tell the young cryomancer that she had already seen his father in action, Sifu Mikhail stormed over to them and shouted at them to stop talking.

"You have two minutes left! Save your strength, new girl, because you vill be fighting Bi-Han next!" he said. The malicious and spiteful gleam in his eyes had returned. Nyssa glanced at Tomas and Kuai Liang, noting their concerned facial expressions and she felt herself deflate when she realised that she was due another beating.

_'I may as well get this over with,' _she thought sadly.

**END OF CHAPTER EIGHT!**

**Just in case there is any confusion;**

**Huiliang = Sektor.**

**Tabansi = Cyrax.**

**Xueman = Frost.**

**I googled the name Huiliang and saw that it means "kind and good" so I thought it was funny to use that as Sektor's name. Rickard and Matteo are some more Original Characters. Seeing as the Lin Kuei seems to have a large number of members, there may be more to come. I haven't come up with codenames for Rickard and Matteo just yet. If anyone has any suggestions for codenames and abilities, feel free to let me know in the review section. **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	9. Small Acts of Kindness

**Here's chapter 9! Nyssa's really been through the mill these past few chapters so I've treated her more kindly in this one and wanted to establish her friendships with Kuai Liang and Tomas a little bit more.**

**Thank you very much to everyone who has reviewed for all your thoughts and advice. **

**To Atraxotax – thank you for your comments. I understand your point about Liu Kang and Kung Lao but I refer to them by their full names because that's how they're referred to in the Mortal Kombat games. I've never heard Kung Lao be called just 'Lao' on it's own so referring to him as such sounds strange to me. And I included the warnings because it is only what I've observed from other stories. I thought it was just standard procedure. And no, I haven't read AVP: A New Home because I'm not a fan of the Alien or Predator franchise :P but I did check out one chapter and I see what you mean. **

**To ChandyDnae: Thank you :) I did debate jumping straight into the story and telling her backstory through flashbacks, but there was so much to it, I thought it would be more interesting (and better) to tell it like this. Thank you for following! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!**

**To the guest reviewer who critiqued the fight scene in chapter 8 – thank you for you advice. I'm not practioner of kung fu myself (I do boxing and karate but seeing as Nyssa is growing up in China, kung fu made more sense) so I've merely been using what I've been reading or watching online because I wanted to sound like I knew what I was talking about. I found a video on youtube that went through most of the moves I mentioned. Here is the link if you want to see where I got my ideas from: watch?v=x7tvcjRraes&amp;index=9&amp;list=LL-MLNEvsavpXrhbPQ1XRldA**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! The next one will follow more or less immediately.**

**Chapter 9 – Small acts of kindness.**

The muscles in Nyssa's limbs burned and ached painfully as she carefully peeled the sticky and sweaty blue and black uniform from her body and then stepped into the shower, turning the water on as hot as it would go, which wasn't much. She had Xueman to thank for that. Grabbing a small bar of soap from the bathroom counter, Nyssa began scrubbing vigorously at her arms and legs, washing away all the dirt and sweat that she'd collected from training and running drills throughout the day. She considered herself to be fortunate that this was the first day where she didn't have to wash off any blood. She hoped that this was a sign of her improving skills as a fighter. Finishing with the soap, she picked up a bottle of body oil and squeezed a small helping into the palm of her hand, before massaging it into her skin. The firm but soothing motion helped ease her sore muscles, making the throbbing pain fade away into a dull ache.

Turning off the faucet, Nyssa climbed out of the shower, wrapped herself in a warm, soft towel and patted herself dry, before dressing herself in thick cotton leggings, a long-sleeved turquoise t-shirt that came down to her thighs and a pair of soft, black slippers. The apprentice preferred wearing her casual wear – it was warmer and more comfortable that the stiff and formal uniform. She gathered up her dirty clothes in her arms and sniffed them, wanting to determine whether or not they needed to be washed. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the smell of sweat and headed out of her shared room to put her uniform in the wicker basket that would be collected by the washer women.

"Hi, Nyssa! I've been looking for you," came the familiar and friendly voice that Nyssa knew belonged to Kuai Liang. When she turned to face him, she saw that he wore his usual cheerful grin. In the short time that Nyssa had known the young cryomancer, she had never seen him without his smile. It was one of the few positive aspects of being trapped in the Lin Kuei temple.

"Hello, Kuai Liang. What's up?" she asked, returning his smile.

"Tomas and I have a surprise for you. We know that everyone has been really mean and cruel to you ever since you arrived here, so we were hoping to make it a little easier for you," he said, holding out his hand for her to take. Nyssa glanced hesitantly at his outstretched hand, before slowly coaxing herself to take it.

"What kind of surprise?" she asked, attempting to keep the suspicion out of her voice as Kuai Liang lead her through the corridors. Kuai Liang and Tomas had treated her kindly since day one, so she didn't want to cruelly rebuff their attempts at friendship. But she'd always been suspicious of surprises.

"We're going to see Amaya! She lives just outside of the temple. Everyone calls her a witch but she's really not. She's a healer and a protector and she's always been very nice to Tomas and me and the other kids. She stops people from stumbling across the temple by accident and protects us from intruders," Kuai Liang told her as they walked through the massive oak doors that took them outside into the freezing night air. The moon was full, turning the dark sky a shade of navy and illuminating the temple, the courtyard and the surrounding forest and hills. Nyssa shivered as they walked through the snow, her teeth chattering loudly and she rubbed her hands over her arms in an attempt to stay warm. She most certainly was not accustomed to the chill of the Himalayas. Kuai Liang noticed this and hastily pulled his grey jumper over his head and handed it to the shivering girl.

"Won't you be cold as well?" asked Nyssa, looking anxiously at Kuai's bare arms.

"I'm a cryomancer, remember?" grinned Kuai, before pulling Nyssa's hand and leading her through the trees. They hadn't walked for very long when Nyssa suddenly caught the smell of smoke and logs burning on a fire. She peered past Kuai and spotted a small, cosy looking wooden house, smoke wafting out of the chimney and the windows glowed orange. It looked very inviting, especially since Nyssa wanted to get out of the cold and snow, but she couldn't help but be reminded of the witch's house in the story book _Hansel and Gretal _that Raiden had read to her one evening that now seemed like an eternity ago.

"Come on! Let's go inside!" said Kuai excitedly. Seeing how her companion had no fear in him, Nyssa decided to trust his judgement and followed him to the front door. The blue-clad cryomancer rapped impatiently on the door and called out to the occupants.

"Amaya! Tomas! We're here! I've brought Nyssa," he shouted happily. The door swung open with a loud creak and a tall, willowy Asian woman, with forest green eyes and long black hair tied into a braid, stood on the threshold.

"Good evening, Kuai Liang, Nyssa. Please come in before you freeze," she said, side-stepping so the two of them could enter. The warmth washed over them as soon as they stepped inside. It was like sinking into a hot bath and Nyssa no longer felt the need to wear Kuai's jumper. The inside of the hut was much larger than anticipated and contained a large oak table, surrounded by chairs and stools. Pots and pans, cages and cauldrons hung from the ceiling over the small kitchen unit Amaya also kept several exotic-looking plants and various herbs and spices, as well as scented candles, oils and many precious stones and antique statues and figurines. Nyssa couldn't help but wonder what Amaya could possibly need all of these things for.

"Hello, Kuai and Nee-sa!" came Tomas' heavily accented voice. He was sitting close to the fire on a stool with a cup of tea in his hands. Kuai immediately seated himself next to the young Czech boy and helped himself to a cup, but Nyssa remained in the doorway, transfixed by the older woman. Their gazes locked and they stared unblinkingly into each others eyes, not making a sound and sizing each other up. Nyssa felt strangely uneasy and yet comfortable being in Amaya's presence. The older woman had a peculiar aura about her – a powerful one – that reminded Nyssa of Raiden.

"Why don't you have a seat? I hope you like herbal tea and almond biscuits," said Amaya, breaking the long silence that had fallen between the two females. As if on cue, Nyssa's stomach emitted a loud grumble that prompted Kuai and Tomas to burst out laughing and her cheeks to burn with embarrassment at her badly timed bodily functions. Amaya guided Nyssa to a seat by the fire and handed her a cup of tea, before placing a large plate of the delicious almond cookies on the table, which Tomas and Kuai Liang dug into greedily.

"Tomas and Kuai Liang have told me a lot about you, Nyssa. You were living in the Shaolin temples before arriving here in the Lin Kuei palace, is that correct?" asked Amaya sweetly, seating herself between Nyssa and the boys.

"I didn't arrive. I was taken. And yes, I was training to be a Shaolin," replied Nyssa snappily. She'd explained her story multiple times over the past week and she was becoming fed up of having to relive the pain over and over again.

"I imagine the Lin Kuei way of life must be very different to that of the Shaolin. How are you faring so far?" asked Amaya.

"Kuai and Tomas have been very nice to me so far and my classes are ok, but training is difficult and everyone else is harsh and cruel. The Grandmaster cut my hair off and burned my doll and my cuddly leopard. The teachers let the other kids beat me up during training if I make a mistake," she told Amaya. Nyssa noticed the older lady's green eyes scan Nyssa's face, neck and arms, taking note of the bruises that had been inflicted during training. She then stood up gracefully and walked over into the kitchen, rummaging through one of her cupboards before bringing out two jars and a small sack.

"Take these. I make these lotions myself. The white, creamy one is for bruises and to reduce any swelling and muscle pain. The clear one is to put on cuts and scrapes to avoid infection. It will also help them heal at a quicker rate," said Amaya, handing the jars to Nyssa who unscrewed one of the lids and smelled the creamy substance inside. It smelt like lavender. Nyssa liked lavender.

"Told you that she is a healer," said Kuai Liang, his mouth still full of almond cookies.

"Give her the surprise now!" demanded Tomas eagerly, eyeing the linen sack in Amaya's other hand which was then handed to Nyssa. She pulled on the strings to loosen them and open the bag before looking inside and gasping in delight and surprise.

"Sakura! Yukie!" Nyssa squealed, pulling the porcelain doll and the soft snow leopard out of the sack and cuddling them tightly to her chest. Small tears began trickling down her cheeks as she thanked Amaya and the two boys for returning her precious treasures to her.

"But the Grandmaster threw them on the fire! How did you fix them?" asked Nyssa in wonder, stroking Yukie's fluffy head.

"One of Kuai Liang's and Tomas' duties is to clean the fireplace in the Grandmaster's chambers. They brought the remnants of your toys and the ashes to me and I was able to fix them with a little bit of magic. They wanted so desperately to cheer you up. I hope you appreciate their friendship. They are very kind boys," said Amaya, a smug smirk appearing on her perfect face, as Kuai and Tomas went bright pink and squirmed bashfully in their chairs.

"Of course I do," replied Nyssa honestly, giving the two boys a genuine smile. She truly did appreciate everything that Kuai Liang and Tomas had done for her since she arrived in the temple, but it still didn't change the fact that she was trapped there against her will. It didn't change the fact that she still wanted to go back home, back to her friends, back to Raiden.

Amaya studied Nyssa carefully and seemed to sense that the little girl was still troubled, because she unexpectedly asked Kuai and Tomas to leave.

"If you could please bring us some more fire wood, that would be so kind," she asked them, giving them a dazzling smile that flashed her perfect, straight teeth. The boys were only too happy to help as they leapt to their feet and dashed back outside into the snow. Amaya waited for the sounds of wood being chopped before she resumed talking to Nyssa.

"These toys are certainly very precious. Who bought them for you?" asked Amaya curiously. Nyssa felt puzzled by her inquiry, but didn't see the harm in telling her.

"My guardian bought them for me when he went to Japan," Nyssa replied, now stroking Sakura's silky, black hair.

"Your guardian was Raiden, the Thunder God, yes? You were his ward if I'm not mistaken. Is that correct?" asked Amaya suddenly. Nyssa now eyed Amaya suspiciously, wondering where the conversation was heading. She hadn't told Kuai or Tomas about Raiden.

"Yes, he is. How did you know that?" she asked.

"He and Fujin have been a source of annoyance for me over the past week. They, and the other Gods, have been constantly searching the Himalayas, looking for the temple and hoping you find you in the process. I've been using all my magic to prevent them from coming too close. It is very tiresome," said Amaya wearily, as though she were dealing with an annoying insect that had trapped itself in her house.

"Raiden and Fujin have been looking for me?" gasped Nyssa, her brown eyes now wide with hope at the possibility of seeing her mentors once again.

"Yes, but they will never break through my magic. My master, Quan Chi, created me to be powerful, much more powerful than any God. I am to keep them out and to keep you in," Amaya told her. Nyssa's fists and teeth clenched and her jaw jutted angrily, her eyes now formed into slits of fury.

"You don't know Raiden! He loves me! He won't ever stop trying to find me! He'll find a way through your magic!" hissed Nyssa. She felt her rage grow dramatically when Amaya threw her head back and laughed loudly at the little girl.

"My dear, I think you'll find that I know Raiden a lot better than you realise. If he ever sets foot into the Lin Kuei temple, it will be because I allow it. And as it goes at present, I am not obliged to allow them to enter. You are now under the watch of Quan Chi and the Lin Kuei and they will not return you to the Thunder God so easily," said Amaya, her soothing, silvery voice suddenly arrogant.

"Why do they want me? I don't understand. I can't do anything!" cried Nyssa, looking imploringly at the beautiful witch.

"My master has already told you about your biological father; Shao Kahn. You are too weak to present to the Emperor of Outworld at the moment, so my master had you abducted in order to begin your training and transition. Once your training is complete and your powers have manifested themselves, Quan Chi will present you with pride to your father...or he may have you take over the throne. I know that my master would like to have Outworld in the palm of his hand and controlling you is the easiest way to do so. It will certainly make things easier once Quan Chi releases Shinnok from imprisonment and attempts to take over Earthrealm," said Amaya airily, as if she were casually discussing the weather.

Nyssa just sat there, dumbfounded, her mouth hanging open in shock, unable to comprehend that the witch had so casually revealed Quan Chi's plot to her.

"Do you think I'll let Quan Chi control me that easily? Do you really think that you'll keep me here forever? I'll never stop fighting! I'll never stop trying to escape!" shouted Nyssa, leaping to her feet and drawing herself to her full height, hoping to intimidate the witch. Amaya, however, smiled at her. Not a smirk – a true, genuine smile.

"Good. I was hoping you'd say that. Don't ever stop fighting. Don't let them break your spirit," she said unexpectedly. The apprentice opened and closed her mouth several times in confusion, looking very similar to a guppy fish. Surely she hadn't heard that right?

"What? I thought you were threatening me? I thought you were trying to scare me so I wouldn't try to escape?" said Nyssa, now thoroughly confused by Amaya's mixed messages.

"No, my dear. I'm not trying to threaten you. I'm trying to help you," said Amaya insistently.

"Help me? Why?"

"You're not the only prisoner here, Nyssa. It's too late for me – the spell that Quan Chi cast on me is too strong to break now. But you still have a chance. The Grandmaster and Quan Chi will try to brainwash you, meddle with your mind, but if you use your training to your advantage and don't reveal your powers to anyone then you will become strong enough to break free. I told you of my master's plan so you are prepared and aware of what's in store for you," explained Amaya, grasping Nyssa's hand in earnest.

"Is that why you sent Kuai and Tomas out of the room?" asked Nyssa suspiciously and Amaya nodded her head.

"Kuai Liang and Tomas are kind boys, but they cannot keep a secret even if their lives depended on it. Honesty is a good quality to have, but it does have it's burdens on occasion. You must tell no one what I just told you and you must trust no one here. Otherwise you will never be free or find your way back to the Thunder God," explained Amaya. Nyssa momentarily remained silent, digesting and processing everything that Amaya had told her and wondering whether or not she could trust the witch. She opened her mouth to question Amaya once again, but was interrupted when the door swung open and in walked Kuai and Tomas, their arms ladened with logs of woods, their cheeks red from the cold.

"Is this enough, Amaya?" asked Tomas, placing his armful of logs on the floor next to the fireplace.

"Yes, thank you. That's more than enough to keep me warm all night. Come and have some more tea," said Amaya, giving the boys a gracious smile. The witch gave Amaya a knowing look – a clear warning her that their private discussion was now over and not to be mentioned further. Nyssa raised her cup to her lips and took a long sip, indicating that she had understood her message. The four of them talked, drank tea and snacked on Amaya's delicious cookies well into the night until it was almost time for the children's curfew. As Nyssa, Kuai Liang and Tomas left the wooden hut, Amaya once again gave the little girl a knowing smile before closing the door behind them.

As the three of them walked hurriedly back to the temple, Nyssa repeated Amaya's words and advice over and over again in her head. Could she trust the person who warned her not to trust anyone? How could she trust the woman who was charged with preventing her from ever seeing Raiden again?

**END OF CHAPTER 9!**

**To everyone who keeps saying 'I hope Nyssa gets rescued soon' etc. I leave you with a quote from the great George R. R. Martin – if you think this has a happy ending, then you haven't been paying attention. That's not implying that Nyssa will meet a sticky end, but she is by no means out of the woods just yet. She's stuck with Earthrealm's deadliest assassins and is being guarded by a witch who can give three Gods a run for their money. But she will rise to the occasion. Just wait and see...**

**In the next chapter, something important is going to happen – one of Nyssa's powers will finally be revealed! What do you think her powers will be? I'd like to here your guesses! **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned!**


	10. The Birthday Gift

**Here's chapter ten! **

**Thank you everyone for your reviews! It's been very interesting to hear your thoughts on what Nyssa's first power may be and I can safely tell you that...you're all wrong! Hahaha! Don't worry! Nyssa will have a couple of special abilities so keep guessing! You may get it right. **

**Atraxotax – Thank you for reviewing again! I'm sorry the name thing is bothering you so much. I checked online and "Kuai" and "Liang" are both male first names. I think, in this case, it's like a joint name, like Anna-Louise I guess. In MK9 when Noob Saibot fights Cyber Sub-Zero, he calls him 'Kuai Liang' so I think it's just a double jointed name. And I've read lots of other fanfics who refer to Lao, Kuai etc. by their full names, so I'm just doing what I've observed because I'm at a point where it feels strange to call Kung Lao just 'Lao'. But I really do see your point. I absolutely loved your guesses for Nyssa's powers! You really like Alien vs Predator don't you? Haha! I loved one of your suggestions so much that I've actually changed one of Nyssa's abilities. And I'm following Mk9 and MKX because those are the only Mortal Kombat games I've played :P**

**Poe's Daughter – thank you once again for reviewing! I always love to hear your feedback. I'm never gonna use those grammar checker things ever again! Don't worry about Amaya; you will soon see how she is so much stronger than Raiden and Fujin. It makes sense, I promise! It won't be revealed till much later on so please just be patient. **

**I hope you all enjoy!**

**Chapter Ten – The birthday gift. **

_Five years later..._

Nyssa bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from yawning out loud and blinked her eyes rapidly, forcing herself to wake up and to focus on what Sifu Asato was saying. The middle aged Japanese man certainly wasn't the most animated of characters, preferring to lecture his students on and on in a thin, reedy voice whilst they took notes about various different historical time periods rather than engage them on a more interactive level. It wasn't boring all of the time – Nyssa did particularly enjoy studying ancient history like the Romans and the Ancient Egyptians, but today, they were being lectured for the umpteenth time about the origins of the Lin Kuei's worst enemy; The Shirai Ryu. For this reason, history was the twelve year old girl's least favourite class. Her language, maths and science classes were much more diverting and interesting.

"After developing the art of ninjistu, the traitor, Takeda, began teaching his new art form as well as modified versions of Lin Kuei tactics and techniques, along with revealing many Lin Kuei secrets. Word spread of Takeda's art and methods throughout Japan and many warriors travelled far and wide to become his students, his followers. These followers eventually came to identify themselves as The Shirai Ryu," explained sifu Asato. The only sound in the room, other than Asato's voice, was the scratching of pencils on paper, but Nyssa wasn't going to bother to write anything down just yet. She'd heard this story so many times. She'd only write something down if she hadn't heard it before.

A pointed elbow suddenly nudged her gently in the ribs, calling for her attention. Nyssa looked out of the corners of her eyes and a small smile graced her lips when she saw Kuai Liang holding a small piece of paper between his middle and index finger under the desk, trying to pass it to her. Sitting at the back of the class often gave her and Kuai Liang an advantageous element of privacy, which lead them to exchanging notes whenever the classes got particularly dull.

Over the years, her relationships with Kuai Liang, Tomas and Matteo had blossomed into close friendships and the three boys had been a good and constant source of comfort and entertainment for Nyssa during her five years as a Lin Kuei apprentice, making the whole experience bearable. They trained together, studied together, and played together. Although she often found herself still longing for her life in the Shaolin and with Raiden...

Nyssa slid her hand under the desk and carefully reached for the note, not taking her eyes off Sifu Asato, freezing whenever he seemed to glance in their direction. She plucked the note from Kuai's grasp and unfolded it in her lap, waiting until the last moment to look at it and read what was written.

_Hey Nyssa! Happy Birthday! Can't believe we're stuck inside listening to this old goat! Do you want to play sock-ball with me, Tomas and Matteo later? We can do doubles!_

Nyssa's smile grew, secretly delighted that Kuai once again had remembered her birthday. She had only told him once that her birthday was on the 21st of April, and yet he'd never forgotten to wish her a happy birthday. Not once. Tomas and Matteo needed reminding on occasion but always seemed to remember at the last minute.

Nyssa placed the note on her note book, so it looked like she was writing down what Sifu Asato was saying, before scribbling a quick reply to Kuai Liang.

_Thank you! I'm trying not to fall asleep here! Yeah I'd love to. I could do with some fun! _She wrote back, before folding the note and sliding it under the desk and into Kuai's waiting hand.

The Grandmaster had forbidden the children from playing with any toys – he believed that assassins in-training had no use for such banal objects – but that didn't stop the children from finding new and creative ways to amuse themselves. Sock ball was Tomas' invention. They would roll their socks into a ball and then bat it into the air using their shoes, mimicking a game of tennis. Sometimes they used more socks to make a larger ball for them to kick around, like a football. It kept them entertained for hours on end.

She saw Kuai Liang hastily write another note before he hid his hands under the desk and handed her the paper again. The new message read:

_We should go to Amaya's as well. I hear she's making you a cake!_

The twelve year old couldn't help but grin at this point. Unfortunately, gifts were out of the question at the Lin Kuei temple and even birthday cake was frowned upon. The only birthday that was considered worth celebrating was the 18th birthday, when the apprentice would become a fully fledged Lin Kuei warrior by completing his first assassination. If the assassination was successful, then he would be allowed to go all the way to Hong Kong or Beijing and not return for several days. Nyssa had witnessed many successful assassins return to the temple, looking very bleary eyed and exhausted. She often wondered what happened on these excursions, but she knew that, in order to find out, she'd have to kill someone and that didn't sit well with her. Until then, Nyssa was more than content with having the occasional sneaky slice of cake!

"What are you smiling at, girl? Erupted Sifu Asato's furious voice, breaking Nyssa's train of thought. Her brown eyes widened in fear and her palms began to sweat as the elderly Japanese man started hobbling his way down the classroom and towards her, gripping his cane very tightly. She felt Kuai Liang swiftly pull the note out of her hand and stash it away safely, so they wouldn't be caught exchanging notes.

"Nothing sir!" she replied, straining to keep her voice calm and guitless and lifting her hands into the air, showing her teacher that she had nothing in them.

"You were daydreaming again, weren't you, you stupid girl! Away with the fairies as opposed to paying attention and taking notes!" snapped Asato, slapping his cane down on the blank pages of her notebook. Nyssa longed to tell him that she was smiling because it was her birthday and about the fifty pages of notes on the Shirai Ryu that she had in her room but she bit her tongue to stop herself from answering back – she knew it would only get her into more trouble.

"I'm sorry sir," she replied, keeping her cheek in check. The wizened man gave her a steely look, taking a moment to decide on the appropriate punishment.

"You will be. Seeing as you believe your own thoughts to be of more importance that my classes, everyone here will hand in a two thousand word essay on the origins of the Shirai Ryu by noon on Wednesday! Class dismissed!" Asato ordered and a collective groan of annoyance resonated throughout the room. Nyssa hung her head in embarrassment and winced as she felt several pairs of angry eyes glaring at her. Huiliang's and Bi-Han's gazes were particularly intense and even Rickard, Matteo and Tomas wore resentful looks on their faces. The apprentice knew that whilst she'd been spared Asato's cane, she wouldn't escape the witch hunt that was sure to come as soon as she walked out of the classroom.

"Sorry I got you into trouble," whispered Kuai Liang as they started putting away their notebooks and pencils.

"Don't worry about it. It would have been worse if you were caught as well," she replied reassuringly, but that didn't stop the hairs on the back of her neck from rising as they exited the classroom and walked as quickly as they could to their respective dormitories. She and Kuai were soon joined by Tomas, Rickard and Matteo, who, despite still being annoyed with Nyssa for lumbering them with extra homework, positioned themselves in a protective ring around her. They clearly sensed danger as well.

"Thanks a lot, Nyssa. Were you and Kuai passing notes again?" grumbled Rickard, giving her a gentle shove.

"I was only wishing her a happy birthday," replied Kuai Liang indignantly.

"We have so much homework now! I'm not going to get any sleep for the next two days trying to complete this and Sifu Mikhail's translation homework!" whined Tomas dramatically, as if the world were coming to an end. His english had improved greatly over the past five years and his Czech accent was slowly disappearing.

"It's not her fault that you can't keep up with your homework, Tomas. We all finished that translation ages ago," replied Matteo. The Italian boy's English had also improved but he regularly continued to speak in his mother tongue with the people he didn't like, pretending to not understand just to piss them off.

"Hey! Come back here, you little bitch!" snarled an angry voice from behind the adolescents. Storming down the hallway were Huiliang, Bi-Han and their gang of cronies that consisted of Ichiro, Shang, Alexei and, to their dismay, Tabansi. The African boy had somehow been recruited into Huiliang's gang over the past year– whether he'd joined out of fear or longing for respect, the others weren't sure.

_'Shit!' _thought Nyssa, instantly going cold with dread.

"Wow, we didn't even make it down the corridor..." remarked Tomas dryly. He and the other boys stood shoulder to shoulder in an attempt to create a human wall between Nyssa and the bullies.

"Get out of the way, Kuai Liang!" snapped Bi-Han, trying to shove his younger brother out of his path. The elder cryomancer had grown a lot over the years. He, like Huiliang, was now sixteen years old and with his broad shoulders, thick muscles and light layer of bristle on his strong chin, he resembled a man much more than a boy.

"Bi-Han, please don't! It was my fault she got into trouble!" insisted Kuai Liang, grabbing onto his brother's arm and trying to push him back and away from Nyssa.

"Stop sticking up for her, Kuai. She's making you weak and pathetic. What are you hoping to gain from being her friend? Hoping that she'll suck your dick?" said Bi-Han nastily, prompting the younger cryomancer to turn scarlet with rage and embarrassment.

"Why don't you all just fuck off?" snapped Nyssa angrily, sounding a lot braver than she actually felt. She wanted to run away and hide in her room but she remained rooted to the spot and ready to fight.

"Who do you think you are, you stupid bitch! I have to tell my father that I cannot train with him tonight because I have to do this essay that you brought on us! Who are you to waste my time?" snarled Huiliang, roughly pushing Tomas and Matteo out of the way and grabbing Nyssa by the collar of her tunic, lifting her up so she was pinned to the wall and then slapping her hard across the cheek several times.

"Stop it!" called several voices. Nyssa looked over to her friends and saw that they were all scrapping with members of Huiliang's group, trying to get through to pull the Grandmaster's son off the much smaller girl.

"I can do what I want! I'll stop when I say she's had enough," growled Huiliang, pulling his hand back to punch her in the face again. But Nyssa was ready for him this time. She blocked his attacking hand by catching it in her own before she grabbed the wrist that was holding her and twisted it outwards. She wasn't strong enough for the wrist hold to actually hurt him, but it did loosen his grip which allowed her more freedom of movement. She needed him to let go of her, so she threw a swift and powerful kick to his groin and caught him right on his balls. She knew it was a dirty move, but as Sifu Mikhail always said; _there are no rules when your life or safety are under threat..._

"You fucking bitch! I may want to have children one day!" wheezed Huiliang, his eyes watering in agony and his hands shooting to cover his groin and relieve the pain.

"What a revolting thought," replied Nyssa coldly, pushing the Chinese teen roughly onto the floor. Fortunately for her, he was in too much pain to fight back so she leapt over and away from him and ran to help Kuai Liang, who had been put into a painful headlock by his older brother and was whimpering whilst feebly attempting to break Bi-Han's grip.

"Stop crying like a little girl and man up! You should be stronger than this by now,_" _growled the elder cryomancer.

"That's no way to treat your brother! Let him go!" shouted Nyssa, lunging at Bi-Han and latching onto his arm, trying to pull him off his brother.

"Letting your girlfriend do the fighting for you then?" asked Bi-Han, briefly releasing Kuai Liang so he could throw Nyssa off him. Being much larger and stronger than her, he sent her flying through the air and smashing into one of the glass cabinets. Nyssa stuck her arm out to break her fall, causing her hand to go straight through the glass with a loud crash, knocking over the precious scrolls and antique statues that were kept inside.

"Shit..." gasped Tomas, gaping at the ruined display and broken glass.

"Run away!" said Huiliang, turning on his heel and sprinting away with Ichiro, Shang, Tabansi and Alexei. Even Rickard, Matteo and Tomas dashed away – there was no way in hell that they were staying for the lecture or beating that would soon arrive, leaving Nyssa alone with the two brawling brothers. Wincing as she tried to ignore the pain and yanked various shards of glass out of her palm, she got to her feet and rounded on Bi-Han once again, who was on the ground and wrestling with Kuai Liang.

"She's not my girlfriend!" growled Kuai, aiming punch after punch to his brother's head, which Bi-Han dodged with ease. He managed to roll the two of them over so he was on top and was about to strike Kuai Liang, when a loud, booming voice echoed through the corridor, interrupting their fighting and making the teens jump out of their skins.

"BI-HAN! KUAI LIANG! CEASE THIS FIGHTING AT ONCE! DO YOU HEAR ME?" roared their father, shooting a blast of ice from the palm of his hand towards his sons, causing the two of them to leap apart in order to avoid being frozen on the spot. Bi-Han swiftly leapt to his feet, standing to attention, whilst Nyssa offered Kuai Liang her uninjured hand and pulled him to his feet. Déshì approached his sons slowly, his ice blue eyes were blazing angrily.

"You two are late for your cryomancy lessons with me and I find you fighting like dogs in the corridor. Not only that, but you've broken the cabinet as well and damaged the artefacts inside. Do you have any idea the trouble our fellow Lin Kuei went through to procure those?" snarled Déshì. His hand twitched as though he were aching to remove his belt and beat his sons.

"That was Nyssa, father," said Bi-Han quickly, eager to shift the blame away from himself so he wouldn't be on the receiving end of Déshì's belt.

"You pushed me! And anyway, look at my hand!" snapped Nyssa, lifting her palm that was shining red and dripping with blood. A large shard of glass still protruded from the wound. However, Déshì regarded Nyssa with cold disinterest, clearly indifferent to her injury.

"Bi-Han, Kuai Liang, you are both to do an extra fifty push ups in training today for being late. Girl, go clean yourself up and then you are to fix the cabinet, the antiques and tidy up. If you are not finished before dinner, then you will go without. And send Xueman to the dojo on the east wing for cryomancy practice. I will be leaving on a mission tomorrow for several weeks so this will be the last opportunity to practice cryomancy together," he said coldly as he stepped over the ruined display and waving his hand, indicating for his sons to follow him. Bi-Han went immediately, not looking back at the mess, whilst Kuai mouthed an apology and gave her a sympathetic look before following his father and brother.

Nyssa glared at Déshì's retreating back and quickly stuck her middle finger up at him whilst he wasn't looking, before stomping her way back to her quarters. The fear that she had once felt for the respected eldest cryomancer had developed into full blown hatred and it was evident that the hatred was mutual. Despite her friendship with Kuai Liang, she despised Déshì. She hated how he treated her like dirt, how he mocked her over how easily he took her from the Shaolin temple, how he never called her by her first name. But it wasn't just her that he mistreated. He disregarded Bi-Han, Xueman and Kuai Liang, calling them weak, stupid and pathetic all the time despite how hard they tried to live up to his expectations. She wanted to make him pay for everything he'd done – something she swore to do once she became stronger. She dreamed about making him suffer. She dreamed about killing him.

"What are you so huffy about? I'm the one who should be angry for getting extra homework because of you," asked Xueman as Nyssa entered their bedroom. She was sitting cross legged on her bed, surrounded by her text books and notes.

"Bi-Han pushed me into a glass cabinet which sliced my hand open and Sifu Déshì is making me clean up the mess. He always finds a way to pin the blame on me," grumbled Nyssa, dumping her books onto her bed. The white haired girl pushed her notes aside and stood up, walking over to Nyssa and taking her hand in hers, examining the deep cut carefully.

"That looks really painful. Make sure you clean the wound before bandaging. You wouldn't want it to become infected," said Xueman, showing a very rare display of concern. The frosty relationship that had been established between the two girls upon Nyssa's arrival had changed throughout the years. Although Xueman still believed herself to be a superior fighter to Nyssa and regularly liked to show it, she had started treating the other girl with much more kindness once they had started helping each other with their studies.

"I will, thank you. By the way, Sifu Déshì says you are to train with him, Bi-Han and Kuai Liang in the east wing dojo now. He's leaving on a mission soon so you won't be able to train for a while," said Nyssa as she walked over to their chest and rummaged around, searching for some bandages and tissues to clean the wound.

"I better leave then. He'll go mad if I'm late! Are you still going to help me study later?" asked Xueman, as she quickly put on her training gloves.

"Yes, of course," said Nyssa, waving goodbye to Xueman as she sprinted out of the door.

Now that she was alone, Nyssa ducked under her bed and began fiddling with one of the loose floorboards until it lifted up. She reached down and felt her way around until her fingers brushed over the linen sack she kept hidden down there. She pulled the bag out of the gap in the floor and quickly took out one of the pots of disinfectant cream that Amaya had made for her. Inside the bag, she also kept hidden Sakura, Yukie and her wooden tessen. No one knew about the secret compartment where she kept the few things that reminded her of her life before the Lin Kuei and she'd like to keep it that way. She didn't want them taken away from her again.

Safely tucking the bag back into it's hiding place, Nyssa sat on her bed and unscrewed the lid of the lotion, dabbed some tissue inside before carefully easing the long piece of glass out of her hand and prepared to clean her bloody hand only to freeze in shock.

Nyssa stared in amazement at her palm as the blood that had trickled out of the wound began retreating back up her wrist and into the cuts and scratches, which suddenly glowed purple before closing up, now completely healed. She examined her hand carefully, certain that she must have imagined the whole thing but there was nothing. No blood, no marks, no sign that she'd ever been injured.

"This can't be right," whispered Nyssa. She picked up the shard of glass and dragged it slowly over her palm, cutting it deeply. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out in pain as droplets of blood blossomed onto her hand once again. They momentarily glistened under the light before vanishing as the scratch glowed purple again, sealed itself and disappeared. It took Nyssa several moments to register what was happening.

She did have special gifts after all! She could heal herself!

"How is this possible?" gasped Nyssa. She was torn between feeling impressed and terrified. On the one hand, she felt empowered with the knowledge that no matter how many beatings she would receive, her body would automatically heal itself within moments, leaving no permanent damage (or so she hoped). She wanted to test this ability. To see how far she could go, how much damage she could take as well as to see what other powers she possessed. Discovering that she had a power on her birthday was certainly something special!

But a sudden fear came over her as she realised what this ability meant. She'd spent five years trying to convince the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei that she didn't have magical abilities or powers, that she was just an ordinary girl, but now it appeared as though he and Quan Chi had been right all along. Nyssa went pale as it dawned upon her that her gift may in fact be a curse.

"This is what Amaya warned me about," Nyssa said to herself. If Quan Chi or the Grandmaster found out about her healing powers, who knows what they'd do. A warrior that could heal itself almost as soon as receiving injuries could be a valuable asset. She feared that they'd push her until they discovered how much power she had, how many abilities she could use. They'd abuse her powers, turn her into a weapon and force her to kill innocent people. Or worse. They could return her to Shao Kahn!

Nyssa shuddered at the thought of being returned to her long lost father. Even though she'd never even seen the man, she'd read a lot about him as the Lin Kuei library and archives contained many books documenting the life and battles of Outworld's fearsome tyrant. She felt great shame being the daughter of such a cruel, evil man and she would sooner cut her tongue out than admit to being his offspring. The very idea of reuniting with that warlord made Nyssa feel sick.

"No one can know. No one must ever know," whispered Nyssa, clasping her hands tightly to her chest. She repeated the words over and over again like a mantra. Like her hidden toys, she would keep this power a secret. From Xueman, from her friends and from the entire clan.

**END OF CHAPTER TEN!**

**This is officially the longest fanfic I've ever written. If all your lovely and helpful reviews keep coming then I'll try really hard to keep the story going! **

**In the next chapter, one of Nyssa's enemies finally gets their comeuppance.**

**Keep reading!**


	11. Revenge

**And here comes chapter eleven!**

**Once again, here is the part where I thank all my lovely reviewers. It's you who keeps pushing me forward to write this story!**

**Poe's Daughter – Thank you for your review. I'm glad you liked it. I don't think either Shao Kahn or Sindel or any Mortal Kombat character has healing powers which is why I chose that. Didn't want to go for really obvious powers that get used in every other fanfic. Tbh, I thought my dialogue was age appropriate because when I was at school and 12, all the kids were effing and blinding and I was in an all-girls Grammar school in the United Kingdom! But I've toned down the swearing in this chapter just for you :P **

**ChandyDnae: I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter! And here's the comeuppance. I'm afraid it's not Bi-Han but it's quite close :P**

**FNAFFRENZYCAT – Thank you! I wouldn't call it revenge per say. That comes later ;)**

**Kuai Subby – Yeah it is a convenient power! I wanted to do something that hasn't been done in other MK fanfics and this seemed like a good choice. And there will be much more of the colour purple!**

**Celticank – Heehee, Wolverine was always one of my favourite X-Men. I'm afraid Nyssa won't have claws...well, she won't have retractable bone claws or adamantium claws at least ;)**

**warrioroftheravens – thank you for your comments. I have gone over this chapter a few times, trying to edit it down like you suggested. I hope this is better for you. If you review again, it would be helpful if you could give me one or two examples of me repeating myself, just so I know what to look out for in the future. Thanks!**

**I hope you enjoy this one just as much as the others. **

**Chapter Eleven – Blood, sweat and tears.**

_A few weeks later..._

A contented sigh escaped Nyssa's lips as she rolled over in bed and snuggled under the blankets. It was a quiet night save for the gentle pitter-patter of raindrops falling from the blackened sky and onto the tiles of the roof. The sound of rainfall had always had a calming and soporific effect on Nyssa and it had lulled her into a deep sleep hours earlier. It was a completely peaceful night, until...

"Nyssa! Wake up!"

The apprentice's brown eyes snapped open abruptly, startled as she was roughly shaken awake by her room mate. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she looked up at Xueman and was surprised to see the ice wielder looking at her with her blue eyes full of terror, her pale cheeks flushed red and her breath was heavy and rapid as if she were having a panic attack.

"Was'amatter, Xueman?" asked Nyssa sleepily, rubbing her eyes and trying to wake herself up. She glanced at the clock she kept on her bedside table and saw that it was half past five in the morning.

"I need you to get Amaya! I think I'm dying!" wailed Xueman, tears now streaming down her face. This was very uncharacteristic of Xueman. In the five years that they had been room mates, Nyssa had not seen the younger girl cry once, not even out of pain, and she certainly never wanted to visit Amaya to treat any injuries. This behaviour set her on edge and she know started to fear for Xueman's health.

"What? Why?" asked Nyssa in alarm, now sitting up in bed.

"There's blood all over my sheets and my night clothes! Something's wrong with me!" Xueman sobbed, turning on the lamp on their table and pointing towards her bed. Small dark red stains covered the lower part of her bed sheets and blankets. The grey shorts that Xueman slept in sported similar marks. Nyssa fought the urge to sigh and roll her eyes in exasperation and annoyance – she knew it would not help Xueman's mood.

"Xueman, you're not dying. You've just started your period," the older girl explained calmly.

"My what?" asked Xueman, looking confused.

"Your period. Don't worry it's completely natural. I get them too," replied Nyssa, trying to reassure Xueman that her life was not in any danger.

"You get them as well? So this has happened to you before?" said Xueman slowly, brushing her tears away as she tried to understand Nyssa's words.

"Yes. You'll bleed like this for a few days every month, just like me. Don't worry though. It's a normal process that every woman goes through. It means that our bodies are changing and getting ready to be able to have babies," explained Nyssa.

"Every month? I can't have babies! I'm only twelve!" shrieked Xueman, her face turning even paler than her natural skin tone.

"No, this doesn't mean you're _going_ to have a baby! It just means that your body is getting _ready_ to be able to have one! Ugghhhhh I'm not explaining it very well. I'm too tired. Later on, I'll take you to see Amaya. She has a good book that explains all this," said Nyssa, rubbing her temples in frustration and getting out of her bed. She walked over to their chest of belongings and rummaged around, looking for something.

"Well, what am I supposed to do about all this?" demanded Xueman, gesturing once again to her blood stained sheets.

"Well, we need to get those cleaned. Go put on some fresh shorts and put one of these in your knickers. It will stop you from getting blood on your clothes," said Nyssa, holding a sanutary towel out to the younger girl. Xueman grabbed the pad before quickly disappearing into the bathroom to get changed whilst Nyssa stripped the cryomancer's bed.

"Won't we get into trouble for being out of bed?" whispered Xueman as the two of them tip-toed out of their room, arms bundled with sheets and blankets, heading towards the washing room.

"Nahhhh! If anyone sees us, just show them the sheets! Most of the men here are scared of periods because they don't know how to deal with them. It gets me out of trouble all the time," said Nyssa, grinning cheekily at Xueman.

The two of them walked silently through the shadowy corridors and halls of the temple, not wanting to wake any of the other assassins or apprentices. Nyssa expected to run into a few guards doing their patrol of the corridors, making sure that the apprentices stayed in bed and that there were no intruders, but she was surprised to find every hallway completely deserted. That is, until they reached the doorway to the great hall and they saw light peaking out from underneath the doorframe.

"What's going on in there?" whispered Xueman curiously.

"I can hear people talking. Listen!" whispered Nyssa, lifting a finger to her lips. They pressed their ears to the oak door and could distinctly make out the voices of Amaya, the Grandmaster and Sifu Asato whispering urgently to each other.

"His body was found at the bottom of the hill by the guards. He wasn't there for long but he's clearly been dead for hours," said Asato.

"What do you think caused this?" came Oniro's voice, a mixture of both rage and fear.

"Let me see...these scorch marks here tell me that he was struck by lightning...but he died due to his heart exploding which implies that he was most likely electrocuted. The abrasions on his wrists show that he was bound and tried to escape, meaning that he was captured and possibly tortured until he died..." said Amaya. They were examining a corpse!

"Who do you think did this? Shirai Ryu? Tengu ninjas? Trying to reveal Lin Kuei secrets?" asked Asato, his voice urgent and panicky.

"This is not how the Shirai Ryu or any of our enemies kill their prisoners. They have never executed their prisoners through electrocution. I think this is the Thunder God's work..." said the Grandmaster darkly. He had never sounded so murderous in the time that Nyssa had known him. Her heart leapt at the mentioning of her former guardian.

"I don't understand. I thought all Lin Kuei assassins were under your protection, Amaya. How could you allow this to happen?" demanded Asato, rounding on the witch.

"Even my magic has it's limits. You sent him on a mission to the United States of America. My protection cannot stretch that far!" snapped Amaya indignantly.

"Who do you think they're talking about?" whispered Xueman. Nyssa merely shrugged her shoulders in response but her heart was doing a drum roll in her chest and she almost felt giddy with anticipation. Raiden had killed a member of the Lin Kuei and she certainly knew who she hoped it was.

"Go and fetch Bi-Han and Kuai Liang. It's better to do it now than for them to find out later. We'll give him a proper burial after breakfast..." came Oniro's voice and they suddenly heard footsteps approaching the door they were hiding behind. Nyssa's arm shot out and pushed Xueman back a few steps so it wouldn't look like they were eavesdropping on the conversation. The door opened and Asato came into view, holding a small lantern in his hand. He glared at the two girls when he spotted them.

"And what are you two doing out of bed?" he demanded angrily.

Rather than offer an explanation, Nyssa simply held up one of the sheets so he could see the blood stains. Xueman followed suit to emphasise her point. The elderly Japanese man looked revolted before stepping aside so they could pass.

"Be quick about it. Everyone will be awake in a hour," he said, before disappearing down the hallway. Nyssa and Xueman entered the great hall and began slowly walking in the direction of the laundry room, both eager to get a look at the dead body that Oniro and Amaya were standing over. It lay at the foot of the Grandmaster's throne and they almost immediately recognised the greying black hair and the ice blue eyes that were stuck wide open but were no longer able to see...

"Sifu Déshì..." breathed Xueman, staring in shock at her dead master's body. Although the corpse was clothed, it wasn't enough to hide the burns and scorch marks that covered him and the smell of charred flesh wafted through the air and into the girls' nostrils. His face was contorted and twisted in agony, forever frozen in that position. Oniro suddenly noticed the two girls and quickly covered the body with a sheet and nodded his head at Amaya, silently telling her to deal with them.

"I see you two are up early!" she said, chiding them gently and deliberately standing in front of them so their view of the corpse was blocked.

"Nyssa says I've started my period. We need to clean my sheets," explained Xueman.

"She's quite right, my dear. I hope you weren't too frightened by the blood. I can assure you that they won't always be this heavy in the future," said Amaya kindly.

"I wasn't scared. Nyssa was though. She thought I was dying in my bed," lied Xueman, prompting Nyssa to roll her eyes in exasperation and give her a dirty look. Amaya chuckled however, as she walked the two girls away from the Grandmaster and Déshì's body.

"If you ever have any questions, then you are more than welcome to come to my house. I'll be there all evening. We'll have a talk over a nice cup of tea," said Amaya, ushering the two girls out of the hall and towards the washing rooms, closing the doors behind them.

The two of them walked through the black corridors in silence, absorbing what they'd just seen. Xueman looked more troubled than upset whilst the muscles in Nyssa's cheeks ached as they fought to keep her face neutral, trying to hide the obvious delight she felt over Déshì's demise.

She felt partly ashamed for having these feelings. It wasn't in her nature to be so malicious or hateful and she knew she'd have to be sympathetic to Kuai Liang and, to some extent, Bi-Han but she had killed the eldest cryomancer in her dreams a thousand times. She was not sorry in the slightest for his death.

"Who's going to teach me cryomancy now? I know he worked with me the least, but now I've got nothing! How am I going to become a master cryomancer now?" Xueman wondered out loud, breaking the silence between them.

"I'm sure Bi-Han and Kuai Liang will help you," replied Nyssa, feeling slightly relieved that Xueman was more concerned over her future than the death of her teacher.

The two of them finally reached the washing room and started working. There was a small alcove in which Nyssa lit a fire whilst Xueman filled the kettle with water and began heating it up. When the water was hot, they tipped it into a basin and began soaking the sheets.

"Kuai will help. He's nice like that. Bi-Han may take some persuading," said Xueman as she vigorously scrubbed her blankets clean.

"How do you think they'll take the news?" asked Nyssa, handing her some soap.

"I'm not sure. Sifu Déshì was kind of a jerk to them all the time so I don't think they'll grieve for long. But they always tried really hard to impress him so they'll probably be a bit torn up to start with..." replied Xueman and Nyssa nodded in agreement before they lapsed into silence as they scrubbed the stains away.

After several minutes, the two of them finished cleaning and hung the sheets out to dry before hurrying back to their bedroom so they could get dressed and ready to attend Déshì's burial.

As they walked back through the great hall, they found Bi-Han and Kuai Liang, still wearing their pyjamas, and standing over their father's body. Their faces were masks of stone. Nyssa and Xueman approached the two brothers slowly and uncertainly, not sure whether they would lash out in anger.

"Hullo, Nyssa. Xueman..." said Bi-Han dully. His voice was monotonous, making him sound like a robot, but when Nyssa looked into his eyes, they were burning bright.

"We're sorry for your loss," said Xueman gently, also sensing Bi-Han's fury.

"Don't be. I'm not. He was a cruel son of a bitch. I'm glad he's dead," replied Bi-Han. He spoke so harshly that the other three flinched away from him.

"He's our dad, Bi-Han. Don't talk like that," demanded Kuai Liang indignantly, angry tears forming in his eyes.

"Don't stick up for him, Kuai, and don't cry! He took us away from our home when mum died. He treated us like shit, even though we only ever tried to make him proud and he'd beat us whenever we messed up. We should be happy and celebrating now he's gone," ranted Bi-Han, although his voice cracked at the last sentence. He swallowed forcefully and blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to get rid of what Nyssa suspected to be tears. It looked as though Xueman was right about the two brothers.

"Guys, it's ok to be upset," said Nyssa, trying to ease the growing tension between the two brothers. It didn't work.

"If I were upset, which I'm not, it would be because I didn't get to kill the bastard myself!" snapped Bi-Han.

"Woah! Harsh much!" exclaimed Xueman in alarm. Nyssa decided to remain silent as she shared Bi-Han's sentiments but she couldn't admit that in front of her grieving friends.

"I don't care. Anyway, enough time wasting here. Kuai, we better get dressed and ready for the burial and then we have to go through his things and decide what we want for ourselves and what we want to throw away," said Bi-Han, taking Kuai's arm and pulling him out of the great hall, leaving the two girls on their own once again.

"Well that was lovely," said Xueman sarcastically...

After that, the day was relatively uneventful. The assassins and apprentices ate their breakfast in silence out of respect for their fallen comrade before gathering outside to watch as Déshì's body was buried in one of the palace gardens. It was a quiet and solemn ceremony after which they were all required to pray for Déshì's soul. Nyssa had waited patiently for the service to end, waiting until she was completely alone, before walking over to Déshì's grave and spitting on it.

The rest of the morning and afternoon passed slowly. Training and classes resumed as normal, although Kuai and Bi-Han had been excused for the day in order for them to sort through the few possessions that their father owned. It wasn't until the early evening that Nyssa saw either of them again.

Sitting on her bed and completing her maths homework, Nyssa heard a gentle knock on the door and looked up to see Kuai push the door open. He looked just as pale and stone faced as he did that morning.

"Can I hang out in here for a bit? Getting sick of being with Bi-Han all day," he asked. His voice sounded hollow and emotionless which made Nyssa assume that he was still in shock.

"Sure. Take a seat," she offered, pointing to the foot of her bed and putting her books away. She had a feeling that her friend wanted comforting so it was probably best that she gave her full attention.

Kuai sat heavily on her bed, stared into space and fiddled with a small bag in his hands. He sat in silence for so long that Nyssa wondered whether he wanted to talk at all. She didn't want to prompt him to speak if he didn't want to, so she scooted across the bed so she was sitting next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders and patted him comfortingly. His head drooped, his shoulders slumped and he began to tremble as he fought to hold back tears.

"It's ok, Kuai. You can cry here. I won't mind," said Nyssa soothingly, wanting to be a supportive friend in his time of need.

"Bi-Han said that assassins don't cry. The Lin Kuei don't mourn the dead..." mumbled Kuai heavily.

"Yeah well Bi-Han isn't here right now. So screw him," replied Nyssa. Kuai chuckled for a brief moment before tears began pouring down his cheeks, his sadness overwhelming him.

"He's right, you know. Dad treated us like shit all the time. All I wanted to be was a good son and make him proud, yet I was convinced that he hated us. It's so messed up..." he murmured sadly, brushing away a few tears that leaked out of his blue eyes.

_'Yes, it is messed up and yes, Bi-Han is right...wow I never thought I'd think that in my life...' _thought Nyssa.

Rather than voice these thoughts, she squeezed him a little bit tighter and let him rest his head on her shoulder. Her actions comforted the young cryomancer greatly as he stopped shaking and his body language became more relaxed. He then reached down into the small bag and brought out a picture frame and various photographs. Kuai handed Nyssa the frame so she could see the photograph kept inside.

Nyssa saw a younger looking Déshì standing next to a young, dark haired, Caucasian woman who carried a baby in her arms and a little boy, that Nyssa recognised as Bi-Han, stood inbetween his parents. Déshì wasn't smiling in the picture, but he didn't look as stern or severe as Nyssa knew him. The woman, however, was positively beaming at the camera, her pretty face glowing with happiness.

"That's my mother in the picture. I think her name was Katie," Kuai Liang told her.

"I can see where you get your smile from. What happened to your mum? Bi-Han mentioned that she died?" asked Nyssa.

"I can barely remember her but Bi-Han told me that she was an American student who came over to China to teach English which is how she met dad. She died when I was two. She was very sick and dad was never the same after her death. He moved us here and never spoke about her again. I didn't even know that he had this picture. I found it amongst a few others in dad's belongings. Maybe he did love us after all," said Kuai, gently touching the photographic faces of his parents.

_'He sure had a funny way of showing it...'_ thought Nyssa dryly, but her stomach had twisted into a painful knot of guilt for being so delighted earlier that day.

"I'm sorry I'm being like this. I know Dad treated you worse than us, so it must be annoying for you to listen to me get all weepy over him," said Kuai, remembering the animosity between his father and friend.

"No, it's ok, Kuai Liang. I'm sorry about your mum. I'm sorry about everything. And if you ever feel the need to cry, you can always come to me. I won't make fun of you at all. Promise!" she replied, smiling gently at him.

"Thanks, Nyssa. You're the best," he said gratefully.

Blue, tear stained eyes met warm, brown eyes and a small smile crept onto Kuai's face. Their faces were so close together, Nyssa could see the slight bump on the bridge of Kuai's nose and the small dotting of freckles that were so pale, they were almost invisible. They were so close, they could...

Nyssa felt her face heat up at the very thought of kissing and she backed away slightly in embarrassment. Even if she _were_ interested in boys and kissing, she was all too familiar of the Lin Kuei's rules against love and relationships. The penalty was your death or the death of your loved one.

Nyssa wanted none of that.

Eager to change the subject, Nyssa glanced around the bed and remembered her homework.

"Do you need any more help with your homework? Need me to explain algebra again? Don't forget that it's due tomorrow," she offered, hoping to take Kuai Liang's mind off his dead parents and _her_ mind off kissing. Her blue-clad friend smiled at her before wiping away any remnants of tears and getting to his feet.

"No, it's ok. I should probably get going anyway. Bi-Han said that tonight he'd start teaching me everything that dad taught him. He's going to show me how to make ice daggers," said Kuai Liang, getting to his feet.

"Hope you have fun. And if you want to come here and hang out later, you're more than welcome. That is; as long as you're not bored of my company," Nyssa replied as they walked to the bedroom door.

"I'll pop by later with Tomas and Matteo maybe," Kuai told her as he opened the door. Before exiting, he looked into her eyes for a brief moment and then he did something that he'd never done before. He leant forward and quickly placed a light kiss on her cheek, just above the corner of her mouth, before walking out the door, leaving Nyssa with her mouth hanging open in surprise, her face beet red.

_'Why did he do that?' _thought Nyssa. She remained rooted to the spot, dumfounded, and trying to work out why her friend would want to kiss her. She had always viewed her relationships with Kuai Liang, Tomas and the other apprentices as strictly platonic, but now she wasn't so sure.

_'Maybe Kuai fancies me...No, surely not. He was probably just saying thank you. It was just a kiss on the cheek. And anyway, it's not like he can be my boyfriend. We'd get into so much trouble!' _Nyssa told herself, trying to dismiss the idea.

She decided to put it out of mind; it would do no good to dwell on it. She didn't need or want that kind of trouble.

**END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to show a slightly more malicious side to Nyssa's character in this one as well as show that Raiden has not forgotten about or abandoned Nyssa. **

**In the next chapter, Nyssa's second power is going to be revealed. In total, she will have three powers. What are you guesses?**

**Looking forward to hearing from you! **


	12. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

**Here's chapter 12!**

**I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. The overall impression I got was that you people want 1) Longer chapters and 2) upload more often. I will try my best to upload regularly but I have just moved back to Uni and I will be doing my dissertation as well as a shit load of coursework which obviously has to take priority but I will try to write as frequently as possible.**

**JimmyHall24 – yeah the Elder Gods are dicks.**

**OgkushE – you didn't come across as mean at all! I will try to upload as often as possible but, like I said, I'm at uni now and that has to be my priority. **

**Kuai Subby – Thank you! Yes I like their relationship too but I'm afraid that aspect is a bit of a slow burner. The main focus of the story is Nyssa finding her powers and finding her way home. **

**FNAFFRENZYCAT – yes, I was very pleased to kill that dick. I mainly wanted to use it as a way to show Nyssa that Raiden hasn't forgotten her. **

**Thank you to everyone else guessing her powers. To the people who guessed telepathy; you were really close! Originally, Nyssa did have telepathy but someone suggested something better so I've gone with that. **

**This chapter is actually told from Kuai Liang's POV so Nyssa's power won't be directedly stated, more implied. **

**Chapter twelve – Harder, better, faster, stronger. **

Time passed quickly for Kuai Liang.

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and his grief disappeared soon enough with the help of training and friends. The experience had been a wake up call to the type of life that awaited him once he came of age and became an assassin. Kuai had become a more serious student since his Déshì's passing; investing much more time in his studies, his training and perfecting his cryomancy with Bi-Han as his teacher. Whenever Tomas and Nyssa were bored and wanted to play, Kuai would suggest practising their kata or sparring together as opposed to sock-ball and hide and seek.

Bi-Han and his other sifus had noticed this change and were pleased with his progress. They began treating him better, took him more seriously, and they often encouraged him to focus and dedicate himself to the Lin Kuei code of conduct; to value honour and duty above everything else. As long as he stuck to this, he had the potential to become one of the most powerful members of the Lin Kuei.

"It's all about discipline and control," Bi-Han had told him one day. "You and I have a lot of power but without control, it's no good. As long as you continue to train hard and don't let anything hold you back, you can be just as strong as me. Maybe even stronger than Dad was!"

But something _was_ holding him back; Nyssa.

He had always respected and admired his friend for her determination and bravery. Despite everything that had happened to her, she refused to be treated like a victim and sort to prove herself to be just as capable as any of her fellow apprentices. It was this quality that had inspired Kuai Liang to try harder and become a better fighter and warrior.

But something had changed within the young cryomancer and he wasn't sure what it was. He only knew that it had occurred when she had let him cry on her shoulder. He'd been well aware of the mutual hatred that existed between his friend and father, however Nyssa had put aside these feelings in order to comfort him in his time of need. These simple actions had shown Kuai how much she valued and cared for him, truly touching his heart.

The kiss he'd placed on her cheek had been a spur of the moment decision. He knew the fraternisation rules too well; Lin Kuei assassins did not need to know the meaning of a kiss or a loving embrace. But he'd gone ahead with it anyway, thinking that he'd forget all about it when he went to bed.

Instead, it consumed him and kept him awake at night. Sometimes, it was all he could think about.

Now, his stomach twisted into a knot whenever she walked into the room, his heart did backflips whenever she spoke to him and he found himself wishing over and over again that it was her lips that he'd kissed instead. He could never look at her the way he used to, no matter how hard he tried.

How could he become a cold and fearless assassin when one look from her made him feel like his spine had melted?

These thoughts circled the teenaged cryomancer's mind as he sat inbetween Matteo and Rickard on the wooden benches in the dojo, watching the object of his affections about to engage in a sparring match against Tomas, silently praying for her to win. He couldn't take his eyes off her as they bowed to each other before taking their respective stances; leopard and mi tzu.

"Remember, you are to use only your martial arts skills, no special abilities. That means you, Tomas! _HADJIME!" _

"Ladies first," said Tomas, winking cheekily at Nyssa.

"Awwwwh but you _always _start! I want a turn," replied Nyssa, a wry grin forming on her pretty face. Kuai Liang, Matteo, Rickard and the other apprentices burst into silent giggles at her joke whilst a pink tinge coloured Tomas' pale cheeks.

"See, now I have to hurt you," said Tomas before charging towards her. He delivered a combination of perfectly executed punches and knife strikes, aiming straight for her head. Kuai watched excitedly as Nyssa calmly ducked under the punches as if she could predict his movements until Tomas changed tactics and aimed for her stomach. She deflected it easily, grabbing his wrist and twisting it, putting the Czech teenager in a wrist hold.

She raised her hand and attempted to throw a leopard chop to his jaw, but Tomas was quick and dropped to his knees to avoid it, before twisting his arm against Nyssa's grip, breaking free. Kuai's hands balled into fists out of anxiety as Tomas threw an elbow strike to Nyssa's abdomen, before dropping even lower to trip her with a low sweeping kick and she grunted in pain as she hit the floor. But his anxiety vanished almost immediately as Nyssa had rolled backwards to avoid being pinned down by the silver haired teen and was on her feet once again.

_'Come on, Nyssa!' _he thought as she launched her own attack, going on the offense. She aimed a snapping front kick to Tomas' jaw, which he blocked, before lengthening her stance and delivered five hard and fast leopard punches, catching him in the chest and stomach.

As soon as her combo ended, Tomas attacked once again. He tried to mimic her combination of punches, aiming for her arms and chest in an attempt to distract her before throwing a round house kick to her face. But Nyssa dropped into a side stance and hooked her arm underneath his leg, blocking his attack and leaving him hopping on one leg, trying to keep his balance.

Wasting no time, she then hooked her front foot around his ankle and pulled forward, sweeping Tomas off his feet. He crashed head first onto the training mat, and Nyssa leapt on him and pinned him down by placing one knee on the small of his back and the other on his shoulder blade. She raised her fist over her head, poised to strike.

"Give up?" she asked confidently as Tomas struggled to push her off him, all to no avail.

"Yes," grumbled Tomas, tapping his palm against the ground in surrender.

"_YAMAE!_" called out their teacher, Edward. He was a tall, burly British man in his early thirties. He had been absent from the Lin Kuei temple for a number of years due to a mission that took him to the United Kingdom, but he had finally returned to take over the classes that Déshì formerly taught. He was a karate specialist, particularly in shotokan and go kan ryu and Kuai Liang had warmed to their newest teacher very quickly, liking his style of fighting as well as his more hands-off approach to teaching; he didn't beat them.

"_Hai, sensei_," replied Nyssa and Tomas, the former pulling the latter to his feet, bowing and then standing to attention. Edward insisted on day one that the students call him 'sensei' as opposed to 'sifu'.

"Well done, both of you. Nyssa, you can stay. You'll fight Kuai Liang next," said Edward and Kuai's heart sunk in his chest. As much as he admired Nyssa's skills as a fighter, he hated sparring with her. He couldn't bear the idea of hurting her.

Nyssa, however, didn't appear to share his sentiments as she beckoned to him eagerly, taking her place on the opposite side of the match. They bowed to each other and Kuai took his shotokan stance. He expected Nyssa to resume her leopard style stance but was surprised to see her study him briefly before she copied his movements and mimicked his pose.

_'Strange,' _he thought.

"_HADJIME!" _called Edward and the two of them sprung into action.

Kuai started the fight with two front jabs followed by a side kick, aiming his foot towards her shin. Nyssa leapt backwards on the balls of her feet to avoid him before launching her own attack. She started with a snapping front kick before stepping into a round house kick, followed by a side kick, aiming for his head.

Kuai Liang could tell that she was trying to force him back so he stood his ground and blocked her first two kicks and then countered the third with an upper block before attacking with a reverse round house kick that landed right on her chest.

He saw Nyssa wince in pain as she staggered away from him but she didn't give him time to regret his attack as she shook off the pain as if it were nothing. She threw two front jabs and a reverse punch to his head but was caught off guard when Kuai grabbed her wrist and stepped towards her. His other hand came forward and pushed on her shoulder, causing her to fall backwards over his leg that he'd conveniently placed behind her.

She fell on her side with a thump, her wrist still in Kuai Liang's hand. As fast as lightning, he was on top of her, one knee pressing firmly onto her ribs and the other on the side of her face. He then twisted her arm gently and began bending it backwards slightly.

"I'll break your arm, Nyssa," he calmly lied to her as she struggled against him. He'd never really try to do any lasting damage on her. This was his preferred method of winning a fight; putting his opponent into a submission as opposed to knocking them out.

But Nyssa was having none of it and managed to yank her arm free. She then struck him with a back fist that caught him right on the chin and Kuai Liang felt his teeth rattle in his mouth. He fell backwards slightly, taking his weight off Nyssa and accidentally allowing her to spring to her feet. He only just managed to recover in time as she attacked once again. Kuai raised his arms to block the two jabs she aimed at his face but didn't react quickly enough to block her side kick that caught him on the shin.

_'She mimicked my combination,' _he thought, as a tense ache filled his leg. With the right amount of power, that kick could have shattered the bone.

Gritting his teeth and trying to ignore the pain, he threw a succession of hard and fast punches, trying to strike her chest and stomach. But Nyssa caught his wrist in her hand and stepped forward. He felt her hand on his shoulder and before Kuai realised what had happened, the ground was vertical instead of horizontal and he felt the pressure of Nyssa's knees on his ribcage and ear. She had tripped him over the same way he had tripped her and was now bending his arm back gently.

"I'll break your arm, Kuai Liang," she said, the amusement in her voice was undeniable. He tried to pull his arm free just like she did, only to feel her knees change position so she was now straddling his waist and pinned both of his arms over his head. Kuai could only stare up at Nyssa, her brown eyes gleaming triumphantly.

_'How did she copy me like that?' _thought Kuai Liang incredulously. He had never seen Nyssa practice shotokan with him or with any other apprentice before now. How was she so good?

His thoughts were interrupted when jeers and wolf whistles from the older students and annoying giggles from the younger ones reached Kuai Liang's ears and he felt the heat crawl up his neck and into his cheeks. The two of them were in a very provocative position that he really wanted to get out of.

"Look! He's her bitch," came Huiliang's voice, prompting the class to burst out laughing. The victorious look disappeared instantly from Nyssa's eyes, replaced by a hateful glare and she leapt off him.

"I surrender. Kuai Liang wins," she told Edward dully as Kuai got to his feet.

"What? No, I don't! You had me pinned down. The fight was yours," insisted Kuai Liang. He felt no shame in losing to Nyssa – she was a skilled and determined fighter and he'd tried his best. His heart twinged with guilt as he realised that Nyssa had deliberately thrown the fight just to spite those who laughed at them.

"He's right, Nyssa. You were going to win," said their sensei, a puzzled expression on his face.

"No, I surrendered. Kuai Liang won," Nyssa replied adamantly, her expression stony. Edward sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Class dismissed. Make sure you're all in the armory in one hour for your crafting test. Nyssa, stay behind. We need to have a talk," said Edward. The rest of the apprentices got to their feet and filed out of the dojo, most of them still snickering. Kuai Liang walked out of the door and decided that he'd wait outside until Nyssa was finished talking with their sensei.

"I can't believe you lost like that," said Tabansi nastily as he and the rest of Huiliang's gang walked past him.

"She beat you too, _cretino!"_ snapped Matteo, coming to stand next to the cryomancer. He, along with Tomas and Rickard, had been the only one who hadn't laughed at the two of them.

"Yeah, but Kuai Liang got his ass kicked. She'll never beat _me_ like that," laughed Huiliang arrogantly.

"You forgotten about your testicle retrieval operation then?" asked Tomas shrewdly, prompting Huiliang's face to flush an angry red before he stormed off huffily. The only member of his gang that remained was Bi-Han.

"She did beat you badly, Kuai. You're faster and stronger and she's not even a shotokan user. That fight should have been an easy win. What happened to becoming a serious student?" chided Bi-Han, making Kuai flinch slightly. He couldn't stand the disappointment in his voice.

"I _am _a serious student, Bi-Han! But so is Nyssa!" argued Kuai Liang angrily.

"It's true. She's just as good as the rest of us. She's beaten all of us in sparring at some point. Except you and Huiliang," said Rickard fairly.

"Yeah, but you were going easy on her, weren't you, Kuai? You can't make that mistake in the future. It may cost you your life. Now come with me," replied Bi-Han, reaching out to take his brother's arm.

"Why?"

"We have an hour before our crafting lessons. We can practice cryomancy whilst we wait,"

"You go ahead. Work with Xueman for a change. I'm going to wait for Nyssa," said Kuai Liang, rooting himself to the spot so show his brother that he was serious. Bi-Han looked at his younger brother in disbelief, before walking away, shaking his head and muttering something about lost causes.

When he was out of sight, Kuai turned back to his friends, who had their ears pressed to the door, trying to listen to what their sensei was saying to Nyssa. Kuai copied them and listened carefully, hoping that Nyssa wasn't receiving a beating.

"I don't understand, Nyssa. You had that fight one, yet you let yourself get upset because a couple of idiots laughed at you," came Edward's muffled voice.

"You don't get it. I'm never good enough for them. When I win, they laugh at me and tell me it's because my opponent was going easy on me. When I lose, they still laugh at me for being weak and getting my arse kicked. I'm sick of it," replied Nyssa angrily.

"_You _know that you're not weak so you shouldn't believe them when they tell you that. You don't realise how talented you are, Nyssa. When I arrived here, the other teachers told me that you were a nervous fighter and always getting injured. But you've become braver and barely have a scratch on you. Not only that, but you changed to a fighting style that you have limited experience with and made it look easy. I'd like to see Bi-Han and Huiliang do that," said Edward. A smile formed on Kuai Liang's lips. He felt relieved that their new sensei was trying to encourage Nyssa rather than reprimand her.

"That was nothing special. I was just doing what came into my head," replied Nyssa quickly, suddenly sounding defensive. Kuai heard Edward sigh exasperatedly.

"That was a compliment, not a criticism, Nyssa. As assassins, we have to master multiple forms of martial arts and you're already a step further than the others. You have the potential to be the best assassin here but you're deliberately holding yourself back," said Edward.

There was a long silence on the other side of the door. Kuai strained his ears to hear Nyssa's reply, but she never gave one. He heard Edward sigh again before telling Nyssa that she was free to leave. The boys backed away from the door just in time as Nyssa emerged, a scowl plastered across her face.

"It's ok, guys. I know you were listening," she told them as they started walking to the Grand Hall.

"We wanted to make sure he wasn't hitting you," said Rickard, placing his hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

"I'm ok. Don't really want to talk about it..." she mumbled, looking off vaguely into the distance.

"Is it true though? That you were just doing what came into your head?" asked Matteo curiously.

"Well, I've watched Kuai Liang, Xueman and Bi-Han spar together loads of times, so I guess I just memorised their moves. It's no big deal," replied Nyssa dismissively. The boys all exchanged impressed looks.

"Are you kidding? That's a huge deal! Is it really that easy for you?"

"I don't want to talk about it,"

"I need to learn how to do that,"

"So if you watch me train, do you think you could remember my moves?" asked Tomas eagerly.

"Just leave it alone!" snapped Nyssa irritably. She turned on her heel and stomped off down the corridor and towards her bedroom.

The boys stood there in stunned silence as the sound of a door slamming in the background reached their ears. Nyssa rarely snapped or shouted at them. She was usually more easy going and laid back and only got riled up when provoked. Kuai Liang knew that something had to be bothering her.

"Did I say something wrong?" asked Tomas in a slightly hurt voice. Apart from Kuai Liang, he had always been the closest to Nyssa and she'd never shouted at him before out of anger so her outburst had shocked him greatly.

"Maybe she's sick or something?" wondered Matteo.

"Perhaps you should go and talk to her, Kuai Liang. Maybe you can find out what's wrong," suggested Rickard and the others nodded in agreement. Kuai felt his stomach tighten nervously. He hadn't been alone with her since he kissed her cheek all those months ago.

"Ermmm maybe someone else should go?" asked Kuai nervously. Three pairs of eyebrows raised in surprise and their incredulous facial expressions were almost identical.

"What's wrong? Have you fallen out with her as well?" asked Matteo suspiciously.

"What? No! Of course not!"

"You've been acting weirdly around her for some time now..."

"Tomas is right. Has something happened between the two of you? Why won't you go and speak to her?" asked Rickard. Despite his mastery of cryomancy, Kuai Liang felt himself becoming very hot under the collar now.

"Nothing's going on! I'm just not sure she wants to talk to _anyone _at the moment!" said Kuai Liang, forcing his voice to remain calm. His friends' suspicions would only be raised if he became defensive and they seemed to buy his act.

"Maybe. It's just that's she's never shouted at me before. She's one of my best friends. I don't want her to be angry at me," said Tomas, looking completely crestfallen. He reminded Kuai Liang of a kicked puppy and a twinge of guilt flowed through the cryomancer.

_'Just go and talk to her. Being in the same room as her doesn't mean you're going to kiss her again. Just go and see what's wrong!' _his brain told him reassuringly.

"Ok, I'll go," he said, shaking off his nerves and walked to her bedroom and knocked quietly before pushing the door open. He poked his head around the door and saw Nyssa lying on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. A frown formed on his face once again; he didn't like it when she was sad. He preferred the cheerful and playful Nyssa that he'd grown so accustomed to over the years.

"Hey, Nyssa. Are you ok? We didn't mean to upset you just now," he said, walking over to stand next to her bed. He wanted to sit down next to her and put his arm around her, but he resisted. He didn't want Xueman walking in on them cuddling. They'd never live it down.

She sighed heavily and pushed herself up into a sitting position, rubbing her temples gently as if she had a headache.

"I'm sorry I snapped earlier on. I don't know what's got into me lately," she murmured sadly.

"Do you want to talk about it? You can tell me anything,"

"That's sweet of you, Kuai, but I don't think it's something I can talk to you about,"

"Really? Try me. Is it because you beat me in training today? Cos, if it is, then you should know that I'm not embarrassed by it. You're a lot smarter than me and I thought it was clever the way you used my throw against me," he said bracingly, giving her a gentle nudge, wanting to cheer her up.

But her expression remained sad and troubled and she stayed silent and avoided his gaze. She never acted this way around him before which made him slightly suspicious. Maybe it was...

"Is this about that time I kissed you? Because if it is, I should probably tell you-" he started in a low voice, but she interrupted with a shake of her head.

"Don't worry about that. I know you didn't mean anything by it. You were only saying thank you, right?" she asked, finally meeting his gaze. His mouth formed an O shape in surprise and he momentarily hesitated, not sure how to respond.

Although he was relieved that Nyssa wasn't upset or confused by the kiss, he felt his stomach sink in disappointment. Against his better judgement, he'd almost told her how the kiss had been bothering him. He'd almost told her about these new feelings he had for her. A wave of sadness washed over Kuai Liang's heart, despite his brain telling him that it was probably for the best that Nyssa didn't return his feelings. They were both safer just being friends.

"Yeah, sure. Just wanted to make sure you didn't get the wrong idea," he lied, forcing his face into a smile. His friend smiled back at him and leapt to her feet.

"Don't worry about me, Kuai. I'm just dealing with some stuff at the moment. I'll tell you all about it once I get everything resolved," she said, her tone much more positive now. He was glad to see her back to her usual self somewhat..

"Promise?" he asked.

"Promise. Anyway, I should probably go and say sorry to Tomas. He wasn't too upset, was he?" she asked as they began walking out of her room, only to bump straight into said apprentice who had been waiting just behind the door with Matteo and Rickard.

"It's ok! All is forgiven!" said Tomas cheerfully, giving Nyssa a one armed hug which she returned warmly.

"He bounces back quickly," laughed Rickard. Kuai Liang smiled but he secretly felt a pang of jealousy, wishing that he'd hugged Nyssa.

"You sure everything's ok, Nys?" asked Rickard.

"Yeah everything's fine. We've still got 45 minutes until we need to go to the armory. Shall we go outside and play?" suggested Nyssa.

"Oohhhh it snowed a lot last night so we should have a snowball fight! Like build forts and everything!" said Matteo excitedly. Rickard, Tomas and Nyssa agreed enthusiastically before looking at Kuai Liang for his answer.

"Well...shouldn't we spar some more or practice our kata? We've got our yearly review coming up so we should prepare for that," he suggested, suddenly remembering Bi-Han's offer to train together. The others looked at him with mild disgust.

"You only ever want to train these days, Kuai Liang," grumbled Matteo.

"You're turning into Bi-Han Point 2," said Tomas cheekily, which made Kuai Liang bristle with anger.

"I am not! That's not true, is it Nyssa?" he demanded indignantly, looking at her for back up.

"Well...it's true that you don't really want to play with us anymore...but I wouldn't say he's becoming Bi-Han's clone..." replied Nyssa slowly, trying not to take sides.

He opened his mouth to argue some more, but an idea came into his head. A much better idea than arguing. So his friends thought he was becoming a stick in the mud?

_'We'll see about that.' _he thought evilly.

Pretending to look angry and hurt, his hands balled into fists in anger and he glared at his friends, making them fidget uncomfortably under his gaze.

"I'll show you!" he said, before raising both of his hands and showering them all with a blast of ice and snow. Kuai roared with laughter amongst their squeals of shock and surprise, before turning on his heel and running through the corridors and towards the courtyard, his friends hot on his heels, shouting death threats but he wasn't scared at all.

No one beats him at snowball fights.

**END OF CHAPTER TWELVE!**

**In case anyone is wondering, Nyssa's second power is innate capability, meaning that she can watch someone do something (like fix a car, performing a gymnastics routine) and she'll automatically be able to do it. So she's seen Kuai Liang and Bi-Han spar and practice their kata so she can immediately do it, she only just realised how to do it whilst sparring with Kuai Liang. **

**Her third power will be revealed in the next chapter. I'm trying to speed things up a little so the next chapter will take place about two or three years into the future, so Nyssa will be about 15. **

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please read and review!**


	13. Tingri

**Hey guys. **

**I know, I know. It's been over two months since I last updated. Shame on me and slap my wrists. Turns out my final year of uni is a lot tougher than I thought it would be. They really like to pile the work on top of doing a dissertation! In addition to that I'm going through some personal stuff as well. I'm so stressed out that my tinnitus has flared up and is giving me hell. It makes it very difficult for me to sleep. So naturally, this fanfic got pushed to the bottom of my to do list. **

**But fear not. This chapter is finished (finally) and is a wee bit longer than the others, I find. And the next chapter is half done. Literally writing it as I'm publishing this one. **

**Here we find out Nyssa's third and final power. Hope you all enjoy and please read and review! **

**Chapter Thirteen – Tingri. **

_Three years later..._

Winter in the Himalayas was always a struggle. For the village inhabitants as well as the assassins. But as the autumn of 2005 slowly began changing into winter, an atmosphere of unease settled over the mountains. A storm was brewing and everyone knew that they were in for one of the worst winters of all time.

September and October had been plagued with heavy rainstorms and night time temperatures had fallen below freezing, meaning that every morning the grass and trees were covered with a shimmering coating of frost and even snow in the higher parts of the mountains. It was only a matter of time before the heavy winter snows would fall on the high mountain passes which would make travel increasingly difficult.

Whilst the winter cold would cause problems for most of the mountains occupants, it did not bother Nyssa in the slightest. Even if she wanted to travel through the Himalayan villages with the dog sled or take the yak herds grazing on the valley floors, the Grandmaster rarely allowed her to travel outside of the Lin Kuei borders unsupervised. Nyssa had complained vehemently in the beginning, but upon witnessing the harsh weather conditions first hand, Nyssa had decided to cut her losses and enjoy the warmth of the temple, which is what she was currently doing.

The sixteen year old was sitting cross legged on her yoga mat with a pair of katana swords in her lap, her brown hair, having grown long once again, tied up into a bun and a look of concentration in her dark brown eyes. Nyssa had forged the _tamahagane _blades herself during her crafting classes after watching Edward sensei demonstrate it to her and the others. Her mind had soaked up the knowledge like a sponge soaking up water thanks to her power and she had worked carefully for the best part of a week to complete the swords, much to the amazement of the other apprentices and most of the older assassins, describing her as a natural, even though she knew that her ability was nothing but natural. She'd already received multiple requests from the others to forge various weapons for them.

Edward sensei had been very impressed with her work and had promised to teach her how to wield a katana if he saw that she could take care of and maintain them properly. Eager to learn how to wield a sword in combat, Nyssa had just finished sharpening the blades with an 800 grit Japanese water stone and was now polishing them with choji oil and a flannel cloth until the blade gleamed under the light.

"Hey Nyssa, are you busy?" asked Xueman, coming through the door and sitting on her bed so she could remove her training gear. The two girls had grown considerably over the years. They were taller now and despite maintaining their slender and athletic physicality, they had developed curves and breasts, slowly starting to resemble young women as opposed to girls. Xueman was still shorter than Nyssa, who was almost 5 ft 10, and refused to grow her short white hair long, insisting that it got in the way and was too much maintenance.

"Just polishing my katanas. What's occurring?" asked Nyssa, not looking up from her work.

"I love those swords. When are you making me a pair?" she asked, her ice blue eyes gleamed greedily as they examined Nyssa's blades.

"After I've made those shuriken for Tomas. Is that what you wanted to ask me?"

"No, not at all. We've actually got a job to do. The Grandmaster reckons this winter is gonna be one of the worst ones yet so he's sending some of us down to Tingri to pick up a few extra supplies. Edward sensei and sifu Mikhail went down yesterday for food and we need to pick up extra medicine and bandages and the like. I think our order has come in as well and this might be the only opportunity we have to go and pick it up. They're predicting heavy snowfall this weekend," said Xueman, reaching into their wooden chest to pull out her thermal clothing.

"About bloody time. The last order only took two weeks. So is it just us two? Oniro is actually ok with that?" asked Nyssa incredulously, sheathing the swords in their leather sayas and putting them safely in their chest.

"Not just us. The boys are coming too. The Grandmaster said we have to stay with you at all times and we have to get a note from Dr. Norbu saying that you actually turned up," replied Xueman.

"Wow, it's almost like the senile old goat doesn't trust me," remarked Nyssa sarcastically, getting to her feet and pulling out her own thermal clothes which consisted of thick snow boot and socks, thermal leggings that she would slip under her blue and black training uniform, a heavy water and wind proof overcoat, and then woollen gloves and a scarf.

"He's right though. Don't tell me that you wouldn't run off if you had the opportunity," Xueman shot back laughingly as she got dressed.

"Oh yes. I'll run off into the wild at the start of winter with no idea of where I'm going and with a huge clan of deadly assassins hunting me down! That's such a brilliant idea that I think I'll go and do it now," she said as Xueman burst into giggles.

Nyssa never got tired of using sarcasm to insult or make people laugh.

"We better hurry and get ready. We've got to meet with Matteo and Rickard in the courtyard. They have the supply list and they're setting the dog sled up right now," said Xueman, slipping her gloves on.

"Ok, ok. I'm almost done," replied Nyssa, as she hastily pulled her trousers over her thermal leggings and put her boots on.

"You still take ages to get ready. I guess some things never change," joked Xueman, sticking her pointed pink tongue out at Nyssa.

"I'm sorry Xueman. What was that you said about wanting me to make you some swords?" Nyssa shot back, prompting her room mate to shut up. Nyssa threw her coat, scarf and gloves on quickly and the two of them walked out of their bedroom, through the cold dark corridors and into the stony courtyard. Matteo and Rickard, both bundled up just as much as the girls, were already waiting for them by the large marble pillars that framed the courtyard, standing next to a large sled tethered to eight Siberian huskies.

The boys had also grown up a lot over the past three years, especially Rickard. Rickard stood at 6 ft tall, a good three inches taller than Matteo, although he looked taller due to his spiky blonde hair and muscular frame. Matteo was the same height as Nyssa, but was broader and thicker with muscle and still somehow managed to maintain his tanned skin despite the frigid climate they lived in. His black hair flopped over his brown eyes as it poked out from underneath the woollen beanie hat he wore on his head. They both looked freezing cold.

"Hello, puppies!" said Nyssa happily, dashing up to the dogs and taking turns to pet them all on the head and scratch their ears. Eight tails wagged enthusiastically and a couple even tried to jump up and lick Nyssa's cheeks.

"They're fully grown now, Nys. They haven't been puppies for a long time!" laughed Tomas's voice from behind the girls. Tomas and Kuai Liang had joined them out in the courtyard, wearing their normal training attire.

Like Rickard and Matteo, the two best friends had grown taller and had bulked up thanks to years of intensive training. Tomas still wore his grey hair long and wavy and had maintained his high cheek bones and Nordic complexion. Kuai Liang's face, on the other hand, had lost it's boyish roundness, making him seem much more like a man now. He resembled his older brother greatly; the only differences were that Kuai Liang kept his black hair cut short and his blue eyes never lost their kindness. Nyssa thought the two of them had become very handsome over the years.

"They'll always be puppies to me, Tomas. And these ones are all my favourites!" said Nyssa, still petting the dogs happily. The Lin Kuei had over sixteen dogs and they'd all been raised by the apprentices since they were puppies. Many of the older assassins didn't care for the dogs – unable to see how useful they were when it came to collect supplies from the village, or rushing someone to Tingri's local doctor. Nyssa loved all the dogs dearly but Blizzard, Silver, Maia, Scout, Aurora, Luna, Ash and Shadow were her favourites.

"Are you two coming as well?" asked Xueman as she climbed onto the back seat of the sled. She gave Kuai Liang a simpering, hopeful look that Nyssa didn't like for a minute.

"Fraid not. We just came to see you off," replied Tomas.

"Awwwwh why?" whined Xueman, pouting her lips.

"We're still on kitchen duty with Tabansi and Ichiro," grumbled Kuai Liang.

"What? Still? For that thing that happened on the hunting trip with Tomas's smoke bombs?" exclaimed Matteo incredulously.

"Yup," said Kuai, glaring angrily at Tomas who giggled nervously and looked embarrassed. The others shuddered at the thought of the dreaded hunting trip.

"Nasty business. Anyway we better get a move on. Climb on, Nys," said Rickard, handing her the reins. Nyssa and Xueman got to ride on the sled, but Matteo and Rickard would have to go on foot as 8 dogs couldn't pull the four of them plus their cargo.

"Stay safe, Nyssa," said Kuai, smiling warmly and waving goodbye to her.

"She's only going down to Tingri, Kuai. What could happen?" said Tomas, playfully shoving his best friend's shoulder. Nyssa didn't mind though and thanked him as she sat in the driver's seat. She appreciated his concern for her; especially as he was one of the few who did.

"Bring me back a present!" joked Tomas before he and Kuai Liang turned to head back into the temple, waving them off.

"Bye guys! Ok puppes! Mush!" she called, clicking her tongue and tugging on the reins to get them started. The dogs yipped and barked excitedly and began running down the mountain, pulling the sled along through the snow whilst Matteo and Rickard jogged along behind it.

"Haw!" cried out Nyssa, and the dogs promptly turned left to avoid going through the trees. It was much safer and quicker to go down the open path. Normally it would take a Lin Kuei assassin over an hour and a half to walk down the mountain into Tingri. With the dog sled, it was just under an hour.

Nyssa relaxed in the front seat, admiring the scenery as they passed and the way the dogs joyfully ran forward over the frozen ground, but made sure to keep a firm grip on the reins so they wouldn't slip out of her hands. The frozen trees and wildlife whizzed past as they gathered speed. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Matteo and Rickard were ok and laughed when she saw their faces, reddened and sweaty from the effort of trying to keep up with the sled.

"Don't you dare speed up!" called Matteo angrily when he caught sight of her devious grin.

"Come on, puppies!" she called out and pursed her lips to make kissing noises, prompting the dogs to increase their speed and leave the boys in the dust...or snow in this case.

The girls arrived in the frost covered Tibetan village about forty five minutes later and the boys were nowhere in sight. Knowing that they'd attract unwanted attention from any tourists visiting the one street town, the two of them didn't enter the village just yet, opting instead to find Kalden and Jamyang's farm where they could leave the dogs whilst they picked up their supplies.

As they approached the ancient, yet sturdy looking farmhouse that looked like a Christmas cake covered with frosting, a middle aged woman with greying black hair and warm black eyes came walking out, having just finished feeding the animals. She was wrapped up in various shawls and scarves and carried a bucket of alfalfa animal feed in her hands. They farmed mainly goats and sheep but her husband, Kalden, and two eldest sons had gone out of town to take some of the livestock to slaughter, leaving Jamyang in charge during his absence.

"_Tashi delek, Jamyang!" _Nyssa called out in Tibetan, waving cheerfully at the older woman. Her kindly, wrinkled face beamed at them as they approached and she hugged both of them tightly and placed lots of kisses on their cheeks. The middle aged couple had always treated the younger Lin Kuei members with kindness and were often the go-to people whenever the assassins needed supplies.

"_It is nice to see you, my dears! I hoped that you'd be coming to see me soon! You just missed Tenzin! He has just gone to the shop to collect your order!" _she replied, not releasing her hold on either of them.

"_Tujay-chay," _ Xueman thanked the Tibetan woman, bowing her head politely.

"_I hope it wasn't too much trouble," _replied Nyssa.

"_Nonsense! After having three boys, it is a pleasure to go shopping for girls! It reminds me of when I took care of my sisters when I was your age! Won't you come in for some tea? Is it just the two of you today?" _asked Jamyang, pulling on their sleeves to make the girls come in from the cold.

"_Matteo and Rickard will be here soon. And we need to go to Dr. Norbu to pick up medicine and first aid supplies. Can we leave the dogs here?" _asked Xueman.

"_Of course! By all means!" _said Jamyang happily, helping the girls untie the dogs from the sled and leading them one by one into the creaky and very noisy old barn. The barn had two large straw-lined pens with deep drinking troughs for keeping livestock but one of them was currently empty so they put the dogs in there to keep them safe whilst they went into town. The goats and sheep bleated loudly as they walked past, all huddling in the corner furthest away from the huskies, whilst the dogs poked their heads through the bars curiously, barking excitedly which only frightened the animals even more.

"_Ash! Shadow! Enough barking! Can't you see you're scaring them?" _scolded Nyssa,

"_Oh don't worry about those silly old things. They're scared of their own shadows or anything that moves too quickly! Now, how about I give the dogs some water? They must be tired after their journey!" _said Jamyang, petting Aurora affectionately and scratching her ears.

"_They're strong dogs. They can go for much longer than that. But thank you for offering," _said Nyssa as they shut the pen and walked back outside. As Jamyang walked back into her house to fetch a pail of water for the dogs, Matteo and Rickard finally jogged towards the farm, gasping for breath and clutching their sides. Rickard's usually pale cheeks were flushed scarlet from the physical activity, whilst Matteo was pouring with sweat.

"Hey boys!" said Xueman, waving cheerfully, earning her two menacing death glares.

"Just...you...wait! We call...dibs for the...journey home!" panted Matteo angrily.

"Actually, Nyssa has to get back to the Temple first otherwise the Grandmaster will think that she's run off, so only one of us can go with her," replied Rickard as he massaged the stitch in his chest. Matteo groaned loudly and cursed in Italian.

"_Merda! _Can we at least stay here for five minutes so I can catch my breath and have a drink?" asked Matteo grumpily.

"You can stay if you like, but I'm not hanging around here. She'll start trying to set me and Nyssa up with her sons and they're nothing but trouble," replied Xueman hotly.

"Not all of them. Tenzin isn't too bad," responded Nyssa fairly.

"Only because you fancy each other," Xueman shot back, giving Nyssa a wicked look. She smirked triumphantly as the older girl's cheeks turned pink in embarrassment before her brown eyes narrowed into slits.

"I do not!" retorted Nyssa indignantly.

"You're one to talk, Xueman. Everyone knows about your crush on Kuai Liang," replied Rickard coldly. This time it was the ice wielder's turn to blush red.

"Shut up!" snapped Xueman, glaring furiously at Rickard. One of Nyssa's eyebrows twitched irritably and her stomach twisted out of jealousy, but she didn't react further. She didn't want the younger girl to know that her crush on Kuai Liang irritated Nyssa.

The four of them shouted farewell to Jamyang and began walking towards the village high street – where most of the shops, restaurants and the doctor's clinic were situated. The small square shaped buildings glittered in the sunlight under a light coating of frost, making the white painted walls to look as if they were made of snow. The windows glowed from the fires that were lit inside, smoke wafting from the chimneys. Like Jamyang's barn, the houses looked old and crumbly, as if they would collapse under the weight of the snow, but they were sturdy and of strong design. Nyssa loved Tingri during winter. The tiny old houses looked much more enticing and inviting than the darkness and gloom of the Lin Kuei temple.

The four of them continued walking through the high street in an awkward silence, making no sounds other than the frozen ground crunching underneath their feet. They passed several villagers, going about their business on small horses and carts and the occasional car, who gave the four Lin Kuei a wide birth. Some of the townspeople, mostly the men, glared hatefully at them as they passed. A particular group of older men, who were sitting outside a bar and drinking boiled chhaang out of wooden mugs, spat at the four teens.

"_Is there a problem?" _hissed Rickard, drawing himself to his full height to make himself look as big as possible. The men continued to glare but didn't attempt to start a fight. Even the village idiot knew not to interfere with Lin Kuei business – even a task as menial as this one.

Putting the incident behind them, they carried on walking and it did not take them long until they arrived at the clinic, which was arguably one of the better buildings in terms of construction, being larger in size and better quality. Dr. Norbu was the only doctor in Tingri and one of few in the entire Southern part of Tibet. The lack of competition and his impressive skills made Norbu very sought after thus he was able to afford renovations for his clinic.

"_Good afternoon!" _chorused the four of them as they pushed the door open and stepped inside. Norbu's receptionist, a young Tibetan woman in her twenties, looked up at them and gulped nervously, clutching her clipboard to her chest like it were some kind of shield.

"_I'll inform the doctor that you have arrived," _she squeaked nervously, before scuttling away into one of the medical rooms. The middle aged and rather hen-pecked doctor walked out a few moments later, adjusting his glasses and slipping on some rubber gloves.

"_Right, which one of you needs treatment? Please come into the medical room and start removing your clothes so I can examine you," _said the doctor hastily, grabbing onto Rickard's arm and trying to pull him into the room.

"_None of us needs an examination, sir!" _exclaimed Rickard, looking positively scandalised and yanked his arm free before moving to stand behind Xueman so the doctor couldn't grab him again.

"_We're here to pick up the first aid supplies and medicine that Grandmaster Oniro and Amaya ordered a few weeks ago," _replied Matteo, coming to Rickard's aid. The doctor nodded in understanding and let out a sigh of relief.

"_Thank heavens for that. Please forgive my abruptness. I've been on the go all day and when Hadiya told me that Lin Kuei were here I just assumed...well nevermind. I actually have the supplies here;" _he said, taking his glasses off and wiping them on his sleeve. He walked behind the receptionist's wooden desk, reached down and lifting two large cardboard boxes onto the table.

"_It's just the usual lot. Bandages, painkillers, some basic surgical equipment for stitching up wounds, drops and antibiotics for eye, ear and other infections and the like," _he said, opening one of the boxes to show the teenagers that he hadn't forgotten anything.

"_I don't think the Grandmaster ordered these, sir," _asked Xueman, holding up a box that was labelled Durex.

"_Oh yes. Amaya asked me to include those. Be sure to give some of those to Bi-Han and Huiliang. If I have to give them more antibiotics for chlamydia, I will castrate them myself! Despite your Grandmaster's rules, the Lin Kuei seems to be a breeding ground for STDs. There's also a book in there that explains safe sex. Be sure to read it, you lot," _exclaimed Dr. Norbu, prompting the four of them to burst into giggles.

"_So much for patient confidentiality..." _remarked Nyssa, but she didn't care. She'd take anything she could get for mileage over Huiliang.

"_This is everything that Amaya or the Grandmaster requested of me. Please extend my thanks to Amaya for sending those ointments and balms the other week. They've been very useful so far," _said the doctor, as he closed the boxes so Matteo and Rickard could pick them up. He quickly scribbled a note for the Grandmaster, confirming that the four of them had turned up so they wouldn't get in any trouble. They bid the kind doctor farewell after thanking him once again, before exiting the clinic and making their way back to the farmhouse.

"This has to be one of the best days of my life. At least in my top five," said Matteo, a blissful expression forming on his face.

"I know! I mean, I think we all knew that Huiliang was bonking any girl to cross his path, but Bi-Han? This is gold!" laughed Rickard, adjusting his hold on his box.

"Do you reckon Kuai Liang knew? I can't wait to tell him!" pondered Nyssa curiously.

"He can't have. He would have told you if he knew. He tells _you _everything," replied Xueman, a slight tone of accusation in her voice.

"Are best friends not allowed to tell each other everything then?" Nyssa said defensively.

"It's alright Nys! Xueman wasn't implying anything, were you?" said Rickard, fearful of a potential argument between the two girls.

"No, of course not," replied Xueman in a sickly sweet voice that Nyssa didn't trust. They carried on walking through the street, still joking about Huiliang and Bi-Han's sexual encounters and occasionally slipping up on the frozen asphalt until they reached Jamyang's farmhouse. The former came running out of her house to greet them once again before ushering them inside from the cold. She helped them remove their overcoats and put their shoes away in a closet before inviting them into the living room. It wasn't a particularly small room, but Jamyang loved to entertain visitors so they had crammed the room with sofas, stools, brightly coloured cushions and a small coffee table, meaning there was hardly enough room to swing a cat. It was a comfy and homely room, the white walls decorated with paintings and family photographs. In the corner, a large, roaring fire was burning away, washing the room in heat, making Nyssa feel as though she had just sunk into a hot bath.

_'The kettle has just boiled so we can have fresh tea! And I insist upon you staying for lunch! I have made sha mothuk and dresil for afterwards. They do not feed you properly up in that temple! All of you are far too thin!" _said Jamyang, entering the living room and handing them all cups of green and jasmine tea before hurrying back to the kitchen.

"Thank God! I'm starving after all that running!" said Matteo happily, taking a seat on a stool that stood near the fire. _Sha mothuk _was a delicious, hearty soup with beef dumplings and _dresil _was a sweet rice dish served with cardamom, saffron, raisins and droma roots. They were meals that were usually served during _Losar, _the Tibetan New Year.

"She spoils us rotten! We're nowhere near _Losar!" _said Xueman excitedly, licking her lips in anticipation.

"It's because she likes you lot. And mother has always believed in treating her guests to a decent meal," came a low male voice from the doorway.

"Hi Tenzin," chorused the four of them. Jamyang's youngest son was seventeen years old, tall and muscular from working out in the fields with his father and had very handsome features with dark almond shaped eyes, tanned skin and long dark hair that he wore in a low ponytail. Tenzin shrugged off his yak trimmed coat before hanging it up then walked in to sit next to Nyssa, bringing a cardboard box with him. Unlike his parents, Tenzin was able to speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese as well as Tibetan.

"Hi Nyssa. So nice to see you again. I was really happy to hear that you were coming down to see us. How are you?" he asked, giving her a warm smile, flashing his perfectly straight teeth. Nyssa fought the urge to roll her eyes at the Tibetan boy's forwardness.

"Fine thanks. How have you been?" she asked, trying to be polite.

"Very boring actually. Much better now you're here," he said smoothly. Nyssa fidgeted uncomfortably and coughed into her hand whilst Xueman and the boys looked like the wanted to retch.

"Is that our order you've got there?" butted in Xueman, eyeing the box he was carrying.

"It sure is! Would you like to check it through? I hope we haven't forgotten anything," said Tenzin, placing the box on the table in front of Nyssa. She pulled it towards her and opened it. The box was jam-packed with various toiletries and hygiene products, everything from shampoo, conditioner and body wash to sanitary towels and tampons.

"Yay! New bras and underwear!" exclaimed Xueman happily, digging through the contents and pulling out very plain looking sports bras and knickers. The boys suddenly became very embarrassed and averted their eyes, determined to look at anything except the box.

"Thank God! I can't fit into my old ones anymore! And I was running low on tampons!" exclaimed Nyssa.

"What the hell is a tampon?" asked Matteo who looked very hot under the collar and wanted the girls to put the box of 'lady products' away as soon as possible.

"We use them to stop our knickers from getting bloody when we have our periods," explained Xueman, rolling her eyes in disbelief, amazed at the Italian boy's ignorance.

"Your what?" asked Matteo, still looking completely lost.

"Their menstrual cycles. You should know this, Matti. We covered all of this in biology when we were about thirteen," explained Rickard calmly, trying to help his friend remember.

"Was this the same time as when Shang tried to lift Nyssa's shirt up to see if she had grown breasts and she broke his nose?" asked Matteo, trying to trigger the memory.

"Yup, that's the one," replied Nyssa, whilst Rickard, Tenzin and Xueman burst out into raucous laughter. "Yeah, laugh it up! I got a week's worth of kitchen duty for that one!" she grumbled but the embarrassing giggling persisted until Jamyang came to the rescue.

"_Lunch is served!" _she exclaimed happily, entering the living room, ladened with bowls of delicious _sha mothuk _soup and _dresil. _

The apprentices accepted the food graciously, thankful for the Tibetan woman's kindness and eagerly began eating. The Grandmaster never really starved the apprentices (unless they were being punished) but they had never been treated to such hearty food nor had they been allowed to have as much as they liked. It was a nice feeling.

Nyssa was enjoying herself immensely. They ate, told stories and laughed at jokes for what seemed like hours on end, carelessly losing track of time as they were in no hurry to return to the dark, cold temple at the top of the mountain. And whilst she didn't reciprocate Tenzin's silly crush on her, she did like how the Tibetan boy and his mother treated her like one of the family. She wished she could visit Tingri more often.

"_Thank you for the food, Jamyang, but we really should return to the temple now. Oniro may send a search party to find us," _said Rickard, getting to his feet and stretching. They glanced out of the window and saw that the sun was slowly approaching the horizon. On top of that, it had started to snow, large flakes fluttering gently through the sky.

"_Oh that's a shame. At least stay to finish your tea," _said Jamyang, forcing another cup of green tea into his hand.

"_That's really kind of you, Jamyang, but we'll get into trouble if we stay any longer. We really must go back," _said Nyssa, standing up and putting her coat and boots back on. The other three followed suit and thanked Jamyang sincerely for her hospitality and bid her farewell, before putting their coats and shoes on and taking their cargo out of the cosy little cottage into the snowy weather. As Xueman and Matteo fastened the boxes, making sure that they were secure, Rickard and Nyssa entered the decrepit old barn to take the dogs out. Gradually, the dogs were reattached to the sled two by two and the four of them were ready to head for home.

"Let's get going then!" said Nyssa, hopping into the driver's seat and taking the reins in her hands. Matteo jumped into the passengers seat immediately – he did not want to have to walk back up the mountain.

"I reckon Tenzin is quite fond of you, Nys," said the Italian boy as Nyssa clicked her tongue so they dogs would start moving.

"Do you now?" asked Nyssa dryly, rolling her eyes.

"You should hook up with him. Seeing as how everyone else seems to be doing it now," joked Xueman, jogging along the left side of the sled.

"Yeah, it's almost like getting an STD is a rite of passage in the Lin Kuei now," said Rickard and they all stifled their giggles as they thought back on what Dr. Norbu had told them about Bi-Han and Huiliang.

"You do realise that Bi-Han and Huiliang only get away with it because they're the favourites. Oniro would skin me alive if he caught me shagging random village boys," replied Nyssa. They were slowly approaching the forest pathway that would take them back up the mountain and back to the temple.

"Well obviously. But since when do you care so much about the Grandmaster's rules?" asked Rickard.

"Only when my safety is at stake. Now eat my powder!" replied Nyssa as she raised the reins in her hand, preparing to order the dogs to go faster. But before she could shout out the command, an angry voice called after them in Tibetan.

"_STOP RIGHT THERE, LIN KUEI SCUM!" _

All four teens jumped out of their skins.

Xueman and Rickard froze in their tracks and Nyssa quickly ordered the dogs to stop so she could see who called after them. Her heart sank into her stomach when she saw a group made up of four large burly men striding aggressively towards them. They were all glaring hatefully at the teens with narrowed black eyes and, from the way they staggered occasionally, they were clearly drunk. Nyssa was certain that they had passed this particular group of men whilst on their way to Dr Norbu's clinic.

"_What do you want?" _demanded Rickard bravely. As the eldest of the group, he felt the urge to act as leader and defender whenever the need arose for it. But Nyssa knew that they were in trouble. As well trained as they were, they were all young, smaller, less experienced and less confident. Sure, they had eight dogs with them, but they were not trained to fight so they would be of no use in the confrontation that was brewing. Nyssa suddenly wished that she had brought her swords with her.

"_Retribution. That's what," _snarled the leader of the group of strangers, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

"_What for? My teammates and I have done nothing to you," _growled Rickard, holding his head high and puffing his chest out to show that he was not afraid of these men.

"_You four might not have, but it was a Lin Kuei who impregnated my daughter and abandoned her without a care. She swallowed lye because she could not bear the shame and dishonour of it all and now she's dead! I will send the Grandmaster your heads!" _yelled one of the others, angry tears streaming down his cheeks. He lunged for Rickard, hands outstretched to place them around the blonde's throat, but Rickard was faster. He launched himself forward and performed a spinning back kick that caught the man right in the chest, causing him to fall heavily to the ground, completely winded.

"_These are bold accusations to throw at the Lin Kuei. Where is your proof that it was one of our men? Where is your evidence?" _demanded Rickard, kicking the man in the ribs whilst he was down.

"Ricky, don't fight. We need to get out of here," called Nyssa. Her knuckles had turned white from gripping the reins so tightly.

"You three go ahead. I can take them," said Rickard confidently, placing his left foot in front of his right and raised his arms to guard himself.

"We are not leaving you here!" snapped Matteo, leaping off the sled and to his feet. Nyssa quickly spared Xueman a glance and saw that the ice wielder's face had gone ghostly pale, her ice blue eyes wide with fright.

"_Yes! Runaway like the cowards the Lin Kuei are! Too weak and cowardly to stand and fight!"_ growled the leader, lunging towards Rickard, throwing various punches. Rickard parried the strikes easily and threw several of his own, catching the older man on the chest and stomach.

"_Cowards? Says the men who are picking a fight with four teenagers. How brave you are!" _jeered Rickard.

This was a mistake.

All four men charged at Rickard and despite his best efforts to fight him off, they soon had him surrounded. He strongly held his guard in an attempt to defend himself, but it was not enough to protect his face and body from four pairs of fists that pounded into him mercilessly. Nyssa watched the fight unfold in horror, gasping loudly as she spotted a flash of metal emerge from one of their pockets.

"NO!" roared Matteo, dashing forward and pulling the knife wielder away from Rickard by the shoulders.

"Matti! DON'T!" shrieked Nyssa as Matteo raised his fist to punch the man in the face, only to be stopped dead in his tracks as the knife was plunged into his gut and twisted viciously.

Matteo's brown eyes bugged out of their sockets in shock as the realisation that he'd just been stabbed registered in his mind. He staggered away from his assailant, clutching the wound in his stomach, blood staining the pure white snow on the ground, before he fell to his knees. He simply stared into space, still in complete shock, as his attacker raised the blade once again.

Nyssa wasn't sure what happened next.

She felt as if she had gone into auto-pilot. As if her conscious mind had stepped out of her body, allowing natural instincts and murderous rage to take over. She was vaguely aware of her own voice, and Xueman's, screaming Matteo's name, before she had thrown herself off the sled and towards the man. Blinded by her fury, Nyssa raised her hand as if to grab the man by the throat, her wrist enveloped in a glowing purple aura. But she, herself, never actually touched him. Instead, a large clawlike hand that shone with the same glowing purple energy materialised out of thin air and latched onto him, lifting him off his feet as he screamed in horror.

The young apprentice hand no idea how she was doing this. She was purely being guided by her instincts. She clenched her fist tightly and the giant hand tightened its grip around him, getting tighter and tighter. The man screamed in pain as his bones cracked horribly and began breaking underneath the lethal hand. His screams were interrupted as he coughed violently and projectile vomited blood over the snow as his ribs broke and punctured his stomach and lungs. He screamed again and begged her to stop. Ignoring his pleas, Nyssa clenched her fist tighter before swinging her fist in a downwards motion. On cue, the giant claw threw the man onto the ground as if he were a ragdoll, before disappearing in a flash. He lay there, screaming and sobbing in pain and terror, unable to move with his arms and legs stuck out in odd angles.

She then rounded on the other three, who had ceased their assault on Rickard and were now gawping in fright at the murderous teen. Remembering her wish for her swords, Nyssa waved and twisted her wrist and a glowing, purple katana materialised before her. She grabbed onto the handle, surprised by how solid it felt in her grip, and twirled in threateningly.

"_Take him and leave! If I ever see any of you threatening my Lin Kuei brothers ever again, I will kill you all!" _she ordered. Her voice did not sound like her own. It was loud and demonic, and she sounded as if she were half-mad.

Their attackers did not need telling twice. Two of them scuttled forward and lifted the broken man up and carried him away as fast as they could, slipping in the snow in their haste to get away. It wasn't until they were completely out of sight when Nyssa released her hold on the energy sword, causing it to disappear as well. Now the danger was gone, Nyssa began to calm down, her anger ebbing away just like the purple aura that covered her hands.

She turned and knelt down to Matteo's level, wanting to help him onto the sled, but was shocked to see him staring at her in fear as he clutched the wound in his torso.

"Matti, let me help you," she said gently. The tenderness in her voice made herself flinch in comparison to the unholy shriek that had erupted from her lungs just moments ago.

When he did not respond to her offer of aide, she turned to Xueman and Rickard, who was sporting an impressive collection of cuts and bruises. They, too, were rooted to the spot with dumbfounded expressions plastered on their faces. Even the dogs were whimpering and whining pathetically, tales tucked tightly between their hind legs.

"We need to get him back home, damnit!" she snapped, growing increasingly annoyed with their gormless behaviour.

"Nyssa...do you have any idea of what you just did?" squeaked Xueman, her voice high-pitched due to the extreme anxiety and fear she was feeling.

Nyssa opened her mouth to respond angrily, but stopped herself as she realised that the ice wielder was right. Not only had she just used a new ability in front of her friends without realising it, she had also abused it in her blind rage to cause extreme harm to another person.

Something she had sworn never to do.

"Oh God..." she whispered as hot salty tears sprung up into her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

"What have I done?"

**END OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN! **

**There you go!**

**For clarification, Nyssa's power is essentially energy projection and energy constructs – kind of like the Green Lantern expect she doesn't need a magic ring and it's the colour purple instead of green. The reason I did this; when I was playing Mk9 and fighting against Shao Kahn, he does his charging moves where he glows green and his light spear and hammer attack where he just conjures the weapons out of nothing and they also have a green aura. So essentially this power is a gift from Daddy dearest. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review if you liked this chapter. **


	14. Aftermath

**Here's Chapter 14! Just in time for Christmas! **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. There's a bit more a romantic element to this chapter, which I hope you all like! **

**Chapter 14 – Aftermath. **

_In the temple that same day..._

Kuai Liang wiped his sweaty brow as he finished his kata. Ever since Nyssa, Xueman and the others had left the temple several hours earlier, Kuai Liang had been run off his feet completing his chores with Tomas and fitting in some extra hours of training, determined to master his cryomancy abilities.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply to clear his mind before focusing his cryomancy to create two ice daggers. The frozen handle materialised in his grasp first, before the blade followed, gleaming in the light from the flickering torches. He then threw them powerfully at the targets he'd set up in the dojo and, to his delight, they struck the centre perfectly, without shattering. Fuelled with confidence, he focused more power and control into creating a larger blade. His brow knotted in concentration as a kori blade formed in his hands.

He examined it carefully; it looked exactly like the kori blade that Bi-Han could create but Kuai Liang had to test whether or not it was sturdy enough. He took his stance and thrust it forward in a stabbing motion towards the wooden training dummy. The blade shattered almost immediately upon making contact with the dummy. Kuai Liang growled in frustration and threw the blade's handle to the floor, where it shattered as well.

"How the fuck can you not perform such a simple technique?" came his older brother's haughty and arrogant voice. Kuai's hands twitched as he resisted clenching them before he turned to face his brother, who was leaning against the door frame with his arms folded against his chest and his shoulder length hair pulled into a loose pony tail.

"It's harder than it looks," replied Kuai Liang irritably.

"Well I never had any problems with this technique. Watch this;" said Bi-Han. He walked forward and formed the blade much quicker than Kuai Liang did, before swinging over his head and stabbing the training dummy and the blade stuck without breaking. He certainly made the technique look easy, much to Kuai's chagrin.

"Not all of us can be fucking cryomancy prodigies, brother..." said Kuai Liang through clenched teeth.

"Seeing as there are now only three of us since our father died, it would do you a lot of good to strive to perfect your cryomancy just as I have. You know what father would say; You dishonour our heritage by slacking off," replied Bi-Han, doing a cruel impression of their father, even imitating his accent.

Kuai Liang desperately wanted to retorted that he considered abducting one's children and then training them to be assassins to be a greater dishonour than not being perfect at cryomancy, but he held his tongue.

"Well, I was training before you interrupted me," said Kuai Liang, wishing that his brother would just leave.

"Carry on then. Let me see whether you have improved or not," said Bi-Han, moving towards the sidelines so he could observe Kuai Liang's training.

_'Great. Here comes another lecture of how I am inferior in every way...'_ thought Kuai Liang bitterly but he began focusing his ice powers nonetheless. He conjured more ice daggers and flung them towards the targets, hitting a bullseye each time and none of them broke. He quickly glanced at his brother, only to see a nonchalant look on his face.

Determined to show his brother how he'd improved, Kuai Liang continued creating ice daggers, making them slightly longer and larger than the last ones. They continued to hit the targets without breaking, which Kuai Liang took as a good sign. He took a deep breath before focussing on creating a kori blade. He concentrated hard and decided to take more time on creating the blade, wanting it to be stronger. Gripping the blade carefully, he mimicked Bi-Han's swing and struck the training dummy. The blade cracked slightly but it didn't shatter!

"See! It didn't shatter that time!" said Kuai Liang enthusiastically, feeling elated that he'd finally managed to pull off the technique successfully. Bi-Han, however, still didn't look impressed.

"The blade may not have shattered, but it is still a feeble attempt. It will be good for one attack before breaking," the elder cryomancer pointed out.

"But I could just create another fucking blade!" snapped Kuai Liang, now infuriated that Bi-Han was criticising him already.

"You take too much time in creating the blade. Your opponent could cut you down before you had the chance to form as much as the handle," replied Bi-Han coolly.

"Maybe if you could just tell me how to do it as opposed to showing me up and then criticising everything I do, then maybe I'd master the kori blade as well!" shouted Kuai Liang, trying to restrain the urge to hit his brother.

"You're behaving like Xueman on her period. I mastered the technique all on my own with no one to help me. Man the fuck up!" replied Bi-Han angrily.

_'Sexist arsehole...'_ thought Kuai Liang bitterly. Not wanting to continue arguing with his brother, Kuai pushed past him and exited the dojo, giving Bi-Han the excuse that he'd been training for hours and needed to shower and rest. Truthfully, he wanted to go out into the courtyard and wait for Nyssa and the others to return to the temple. They'd been gone for much longer than anticipated and he was starting to become concerned, despite Tomas's confidence that their friend would be fine.

Kuai Liang had hoped that his feelings for the brown eyed girl would have waned as they got older, only to find that not only had they remained deep inside him, but they had also increased. She was still his favourite person to be around, whether they were studying, training, hunting, doing chores or just hanging out. She was kind, cheerful, and funny, and she always praised and encouraged him in everything he did. They'd sometimes spend hours together, helping each other train and develop new techniques. And as they grew and matured, he now found her to be a very attractive young woman.

But he was happy with their close friendship and was unwilling to sacrifice it. The bonds that he had formed with Nyssa, Tomas and the others were the beams of positivity that brightened the dark, miserable existence of being trained to be assassins. He refused to give into what he considered to be his selfish desires that could potentially take away everything he had. Even though, sometimes, he really wanted to.

Shaking these thoughts from his head, Kuai carried on making his way to the main entrance. The corridors that Kuai Liang walked through glowed orange from the torches and dimly lit lamps. It wasn't late, but the sky was starting to grow darker and darker the closer winter came. The inside of the temple always felt gloomier in the winter.

Kuai Liang reached the large oak doors of the Lin Kuei palace and went outside, stepping into the cold, brisk air that never truly affected the demi-cryomancer. The sun was on the edge of the horizon at this point, burning the sky red and illuminating the clouds. As he stood and admired the sunset, he heard the snow crunched underneath footsteps and someone came to stand next to him.

"Hello there, Kuai Liang. Have you come to watch the sun go down?" asked Amaya. Like Kuai Liang, the sorceress was uneffected by the temperatures as she did not shiver or chatter her teeth, despite wearing a thin, short sleeved green kimono dress.

"Not really. Just waiting for Nyssa, Xueman and the guys to come back from Tingri," replied the teen, smiling at Amaya. Unlike the other adults who resided in the Lin Kuei, Amaya rettained the appearance of a young woman. She looked as if she had only aged a day despite the number of years that had passed.

"Yes, that is just what I am doing. They should have been back several hours ago. I know Jamyang likes to feed them up, but I cannot shake the feeling that something has happened to them," admitted Amaya, a concerned expression forming on her pretty features.

"Do you think we should take the other sled and go look for them?" asked Kuai Liang.

"If they have not returned by night fall, then we may have to. The mountains are perilous at night," replied Amaya, her green eyes fixed on the trees ahead. Kuai Liang almost felt relieved that the witch felt worried – it meant that he was not being paranoid.

The two of them waited for several minutes in silence, anxiously watching as the sun continued to disappear more and more beneath the horizon, when they finally heard the sounds of dogs barking, signalling the apprentices' return.

"Oh thank goodness," gasped Amaya as the dogs and sled came into view. Kuai Liang exhaled loudly out of relief, but this feeling did not last long. Kuai's heart leapt into his throat when he saw a bruised and beaten Rickard was driving the sled one handed whilst trying to stop a pale and sickly Matteo from falling off. The girls were not far behind the sled, their cheeks flushed scarlet and covered in sweat but appeared uninjured, much to the cryomancer's relief.

"AMAYA! PLEASE HELP!" shouted Rickard desperately as they came to a stop. Amaya dashed forward with Kuai Liang hot on her feels and managed to catch Matteo just as he keeled over in a dead faint.

"What happened?" demanded Amaya, examining the Italian apprentice carefully.

"Some drunken dick heads tried to pick a fight with us and stabbed Matti. Nyssa and Xueman fought them off and then we patched him up a bit and came back as quickly as we could," said Rickard. Beneath the purple bruises that decorated his features, his skin was pale with fright.

"Oh shit! Nyssa, are you ok? Are you hurt?" asked Kuai Liang, unable to mask the concern in his voice when he saw her hands shaking uncontrollably and her brown eyes were blood shot. She'd been crying.

"Yes, I'm fine,"

Her voice was tight and high pitched, leading Kuai Liang to believe that she was anything but.

"Rickard, help me carry him to my cottage. Nyssa, bring the supplies that Dr. Norbu sent. Kuai Liang, Xueman, put the dogs back in the kennels," ordered Amaya, wrapping one of Matteo's arms around her shoulder and lifting him gently. Rickard immediately followed suit and they carefully carried him to Amaya's hut. Nyssa gathered two of the cardboard boxes that was fastened to the sled before rushing to the hut, carrying them carefully in her arms.

Kuai Liang and Xueman set to work, untying the dogs two by two and hurrying them back to the large wooden shed where the dogs were kept.

"What happened exactly? You're not hurt, are you?" asked Kuai Liang as he put Maia and Silver in their shared kennel.

"I'm fine, just...a bit shaken up. There were four men, all drunk...they started beating up Ricky and...Matti joined in when they pulled a knife out...that's when he got stabbed," said Xueman, as she guided Ash and Scout in theirs.

"Where did they stab him? They didn't start fighting you and Nyssa, did they?" said Kuai Liang. The thought of his dear friend being set upon by four grown men made his blood run cold.

"No...at first Nyssa and I just hung back because we were scared...and then when Matti got stabbed in the stomach, we joined in to help and Nyssa just...I don't know...It was like she went mad for a moment. Just leapt on this guy and beat the shit out of him...she wouldn't stop hitting him...but she saved Matti's life. He was gonna stab Matti again but Nyssa stopped him..." replied Xueman. The white haired girl had a faraway look in her eyes, as if she had seen something truly terrifying. Kuai Liang assumed that she must be in shock over her first taste of combat outside of the temple so he put a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

"We managed to fight back. Managed to drive them off. But Matti shouldn't have been stabbed. It was four on four. We could have taken them easily if we'd worked as a team..." whispered Xueman, her bottom lip starting to tremble as she looked forlornly at Kuai Liang.

"Hey, don't be like that. That was the first time anything like that has happened to you. Any one of us could have reacted like that. You were really brave and I'm sure you'll be better once you're fully trained and have more experience," said Kuai Liang, trying to lift her spirits. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards into a small smile and a pink tinge coloured her cheeks.

"You're so sweet, Kuai..." she said, giving him an adoring look which made Kuai feel very uncomfortable. He'd been made aware of her little infatuation with him and did his best not to encourage it. They'd finished putting the dogs and the sled away, so Kuai eagerly looked for an excuse not to be alone with Xueman.

"Let's go and see if Matteo's ok. His wound may require stitching up," the older cryomancer suggested.

"You go ahead. I need to take our stuff back to our room and Bi-Han told me to come and train with him as soon as I get back. I'm not hurt so I'll just crowd the room. You'll let me know if he's ok, won't you?"

"Yes, of course," he assured her before they parted ways. As Xueman headed back inside the temple, Kuai dashed through the trees towards Amaya's house. He knew he wouldn't be of much use and would probably be told to leave, but he had to be sure that his friends were ok.

He knocked on the door when he arrived but entered before being granted permission to do so. He saw Rickard and Nyssa sitting in one corner of the room next to the fire, applying some of Amaya's healing cream to Rickard's face. Matteo was lying shirtless on the sofa and appeared to be unconscious, whilst Amaya neatly and swiftly stitched up the wound so it was tidy and clean.

"Who would have thought that I would have used Dr. Norbu's medical supplies so soon? I normally get to wait a few days before I have to start sewing someone back up," said Amaya flippantly as she wrapped some bandages around Matteo's stomach.

"He will be ok though, won't he?" Rickard asked urgently. Kuai had never seen him so panicked before.

"He'll live. It wasn't a particularly deep wound but he lost a fair amount of blood. I'll have to keep an eye out for an infection and he may get a scar. But I doubt that'll be a concern for him. What is it that your instructors are always telling you? That scars are badges of honour or something?" replied Amaya as she finished dressing the wound.

"Something like that. Kuai, do you think you could give me some ice or something? My face is burning," asked Rickard, still rubbing some soothing oitnment on his cheek. Kuai immediately focussed his ice powers and conjured some ice cubes, wrapped them in a handkerchief and handed them to Rickard.

"I'm finished here so I'm going to tell Oniro what happened. Matteo shouldn't train until the wound is healed otherwise it will re-open and get infected. You three take him back to his room. He'll be more comfortable there. And spray some of this on his pillow to help him sleep," said Amaya and she handed a small bottle of scent to Kuai Liang before hurrying out of the hut.

Kuai Liang studied Matteo carefully and gave him a gentle shove only to receive a groan in response as his friend swatted his hand away.

"I don't think he's in any state to walk. I'll take one arm, you take the other, Ricky," said Kuai Liang, wrapping one of Matteo's arms around his shoulder. Rickard nodded and immediately followed suit and the two of them lifted Matteo up carefully and walked him out of the cottage.

"Do you want me to take his legs?" asked Nyssa, hovering behind the three boys.

"No, cos we'll need you to open the doors for us," said Rickard. She darted forward and pushed the heavy oak doors open, holding them open for the boys. She did the same when the four of them eventually reached the bedroom that Matteo and Rickard shared.

"You guys don't have to stay if you don't want to. I can manage him from here," said Rickard as he and Kuai Liang set him on the bed. The blonde boy reached under Matteo's pillow, pulled out his pyjama t-shirt and dressed him carefully.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" asked Kuai Liang, handing Rickard the bottle of scent that Amaya gave him.

"He'll be out of it for a while. He just needs to sleep. And so do you, Nyssa. You look dead on your feet," said Rickard. Kuai spared Nyssa a glance, taking note of her pale face and exhausted expression. She really looked like she needed to go to bed.

"Ok then. I'll come by tomorrow to check on him," she replied quietly, not taking her eyes off Matteo's unconscious form.

"Me too. You'll let us know if anything happens, won't you?" asked Kuai as he and Nyssa headed to the door.

"Of course. Goodnight guys," said Rickard. Kuai Liang held the door open for Nyssa as they exited the bedroom and let the door swing shut behind him. He started walking back down the corridor, expecting Nyssa to follow him, only to see her stay behind, peering through the crack between the frame and the door.

"What are you doing?" asked Kuai Liang as he walked to stand next to her, straining his neck to peer through the crack to see what she was looking at. He caught a glimpse of Rickard and Matteo on the other side of the door. The Italian had appeared to have regained some degree of consciousness whilst the blonde was sitting on the edge of the bed, grasping his hand and gently combing his fingers through Matteo's dark locks.

Kuai Liang gasped audibly. "Woah!" he exclaimed, immediately backing away from the door.

"I knew it," whispered Nyssa, before she started power-walking down the corridor, practically dragging Kuai Liang behind her. They hurried through the temple, not breathing a word to each other until they reached Nyssa's room, which happened to be empty. Kuai Liang assumed that Xueman had gone to train with Bi-Han

Nyssa was the one to break the silence between them. "Neither of us saw that," she said, giving Kuai Liang a meaningful look.

"Mum's the word," replied Kuai, drawing his index finger and thumb across his mouth to show that his lips were sealed.

"Gotta admit though; they hid it well," Nyssa said, sighing heavily as she sat on the edge of her bed so she could slip her snow boots and coat off. Kuai Liang took this time to study her pretty face carefully. Although she was no longer shaking and her eyes weren't bloodshot anymore, she still look upset, troubled and even frightened. His instincts told him that she was still troubled by the events of the day, so he decided to try and comfort her.

"Hey..." he probed gently. "Do you want to talk about what happened? Xueman told me-"

"What did Xueman tell you?" she demanded suddenly, her head snapping up and her brown eyes widening in fear. This reaction puzzled the cryomancer greatly.

"She only told me that you fought one of the men and beat him up pretty badly. She said that you saved Matti. I know you said that you were fine earlier, but I can tell that you're not," he told her. The panic faded from her features almost instantly and she hung her head.

"Oh..." she whispered.

"Listen, you don't need to be upset anymore, ok? Matti's out of danger, thanks to you. You fought bravely and got him back here in ti- Hey! Why are you crying?"

He dropped onto his knees in front of her and gently caressed her arms as she buried her face in her hands and she shook with silent sobs. There was nothing more distressing for him to see her cry like this.

"He isn't gonna die, ok? I know you're worried about him, but-"

"That's not why I'm crying," she interrupted him, pulling her hands away from her face. Her eyes were misty and her cheeks rosy. He fought the urge to reach up and thumb her tears away.

"Tell me what's wrong. You know you can tell me anything. I promised you," he reminded her. She took a shuddering breath, forcefully wiped some of her tears away before telling him.

"I didn't just beat that guy up. I _crippled _him. I was so angry and scared, I don't know what came over me. I broke his back and his ribs whilst he begged for mercy...I didn't know who I was for a moment. I wasn't me..."

Kuai Liang's mouth formed an O as realisation and understanding dawned on him.

"You're afraid that you're becoming a killer. That the Lin Kuei are finally getting through to you and you're becoming one of them..." he said and she nodded her head sadly.

"I don't want to be like Bi-Han or Huiliang," she murmured, two fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. He moved from his position on the floor to sitting next to her on the bed and he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, squeezing her gently. As she rested her head onto his shoulder, he couldn't help but be reminded of that time when they were twelve when she was comforting him. It felt like a role reversal.

"We're assassins in training, Nyssa. As much as I hate to admit it, it's part of the job description. We've got another eighteen months at best before we go on our first mission. And you and I both know what we'll have to do. But it doesn't change who you are. _I _know you are not a killer in your heart. And you'll never be like Bi-Han or Huiliang in a million years...Thank God," he told her. A ghost of a smile formed on her lips, indicating that his words had comforted her, but she still looked forlorn.

"My guardian didn't bring me up this way. He brought me up to believe in peace and justice and love. I'm scared I'm going to forget all that," replied Nyssa.

_'I could help you with that last part,' _came a voice in the back of Kuai Liang's head. A voice that he banished immediately.

"He'd be ashamed of me, if he saw what I did," she continued as she reached for a handkerchief to blow her nose.

"You don't know that. I think he'd be happy that you're still alive and healthy. I'm sure he thinks about you everyday and misses you,"

Truthfully, Kuai Liang knew nothing about her guardian as she had always refrained from going into much detail about him, but he did know that Nyssa loved him very much and her guardian cared for her like a daughter. He'd always felt slightly jealous that she had a parental figure who loved her.

The smile on Nyssa's lips grew, which Kuai found to be encouraging.

"I hope so," she admitted quietly.

"I reckon he'd be proud of you too. I mean, you've survived here for almost ten years! You're brave, strong, smart, funny..."

_'Beautiful,' _came the voice in his head, only to be ignored once again.

Nyssa's smile turned bashful and coy as she became embarrassed but flattered by his compliments. Kuai Liang knew it was rare for her to receive compliments like this, so he made sure to tell her every once in a while.

"You are so sweet, you know that right?" she asked.

"Only being honest," he told her, flashing her a grin as her cheeks turned pink again. The sparkle had returned to her eyes and there were no more tears. The cryomancer felt very satisfied with himself. He reckoned that he would have been a counsellor had he not grown up in the Lin Kuei.

"Thanks, Kuai," she murmured, returning his smile. He watched as her brown eyes stared into his blue ones before they flitted down his face and rested on his lips briefly before coming back up to his eyes. She didn't give him an opportunity to feel self-conscious or embarrassed, because she then leant forward and lightly kissed his cheek, just above the corner of his mouth, just as he had kissed her all those years ago.

But she then took it a step further. As soon as her lips left his cheek, they moved to brush gently against his own before she pulled away hastily, biting her lip bashfully and watching him carefully for his reaction.

She had kissed him...

_She _had kissed _him_!

The cryomancer's lips tingled from where they had touched hers, his heart was performing a drum roll against his rib cage and he felt the heat rushed to his face. His mouth fell open and he blinked rapidly as he scanned his brain trying to decide how to react, knowing too well that he looked completely gormless at the moment. But his mind was a haze and he couldn't concentrate. It was as if everything else had suddenly melted away and vanished, leaving him all alone with the girl he adored.

The self-restraint that he had built up over the past four years suddenly came crumbling down and he leant forward, rested his hands on her shoulder and neck and quickly kissed her lovingly on her mouth before she could stammer an apology.

He was relieved that she didn't try to pull away and his relief soon changed to delight as her lips moved against his as she responded to his kiss. A low groan built up in his throat as her hands came up to cup his cheeks, her slender fingers threading themselves in his short black hair, her nails gently scraping his scalp. Unlike him, she was warm, almost too warm for Kuai Liang, and her hands left a trail of heat on his skin.

One kiss became two, two became four, and four became God knows how many, yet it still wasn't enough for Kuai Liang. Every time he felt the warmth of her skin, every time he felt her soft lips against his, it whetted his hunger and he'd reclaim her lips as soon as he felt them break away from his. His head was spinning from what he felt was the growing need for oxygen, but he couldn't bring himself to break the kiss.

An audible groan escaped his mouth as he felt her leg accidentally brush his groin, which had become painfully swollen throughout the duration of the kiss. He forced his lips away from hers, panting slightly as he tried to catch his breath, only to realise at that moment that he'd pushed Nyssa so she was lying on the bed underneath him, her legs parted so he could rest comfortably between them.

She looked up at him happily with dilated pupils. "Sorry. You were crushing my leg," she murmured breathlessly, reaching up to stroke his cheek lightly.

Suddenly, reality came rushing back to the young cryomancer.

Fear flooded through him and his skin turned ever paler than usual. He leapt off the bed and away from her as if he'd been given an electric shock and he hastily checked himself to see if his erection was visible through his clothing. Thankfully, it wasn't. Nyssa sat up on the bed, propping herself up on her arms and gave him a look that was a mixture between hurt and confusion.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head inquistively.

"N-no, it's fine. I just...I just..." he stammered nervously, unable to form a coherent sentence in his brain.

He watched as she swung her legs over the bed and got to her feet. She approached him slowly, raising her arms to wrap them around his neck, cuddling up to him affectionately in an attempt to extend the newfound intimacy between them. But he grabbed her wrists and gently pushed her away from him.

"I'm sorry...I can't...I just can't..." he mumbled miserably, before opening the door to her room and walking out, unable to look at the hurt expression on her face as he left her.

He hurried through the darkening corridors, desperate to get back to the bedroom he shared with Tomas and Bi-Han. It was currently empty; so he hurriedly entered the ensuite bathroom, turned on the shower and made the water cold. He swiftly stripped his clothes and stepped under the water, shivering slightly as the cold clashed with the heat that Nyssa had left on his skin, before he grabbed his bar of soap and began cleaning himself.

He cursed quietly as the cold water did nothing to cease his arousal and images of Nyssa lying underneath him, rosy-cheeked and breathless, kept entering his mind. The cryomancer's mind was in conflict. He'd wanted to kiss her for so long. He'd secretly wanted to show the extent of his feelings for her but had been too afraid to. He knew the risks of his silly infatuation and he'd prided himself on his self-restraint. But it had slipped out of his control so easily and all it had taken was one little peck on his lips.

Kuai Liang couldn't shake the feeling that things would have progressed further had he remained in her bedroom. He felt partially relieved that he'd fled her room but hated himself for leaving so abruptly with no explanation. Kuai Liang tried very hard not to remember the look of disappointment that masked her features when he'd practically ran away from her.

"No...we can't...we can't be together. They'd kill us...and I've worked too hard to get where I am today," whispered Kuai Liang, trying to steel himself and think rationally. But questions flooded his mind. Why had she kissed him first? Was she throwing herself at him in her distress, desperate for comfort? Or did he dare to dream that she returned his feelings and had found an opportunity to act on them?

"God, I want to..." Kuai Liang murmured, gently banging his head against the shower wall in frustration.

He needed answers, whether he liked them or not. But, more importantly, he needed to know that he and his dear friend could move past this incident and forget about it.

He'd talk to her tomorrow...

**END OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN.**

**I suppose the next chapter should be called Aftermath, seeing as Kuai Liang and Nyssa will be dealing with the recpercussions of their steamy make out session. **

**I know I've left some questions unanswered. I tried writing this chapter from Nyssa's POV but it just didn't work. If you have a particular question that you'd like to be answered, please leave it in a review and I'll do my best to answer it in the next chapter. **

**Happy Holidays everyone!**


	15. I want to be selfish

***Update!* A couple of reviewers have informed me of a couple of silly mistakes I made in this chapter. They were easily fixable so I went back and changed them. Sorry if you got excited and thought I posted another chapter. **

**Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a lovely time celebrating. Guess what I did? I waited for the fireworks whilst watching Bryan Adams on the TV! Lol! I'm so interesting...not!**

**Thank you to everyone who review my chapter! I appreciate it sooo much and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as the last one. **

**Chapter Fifteen – I want to be selfish. **

_The next day..._

Throughout the duration of her time at the Lin Kuei temple, Nyssa had never been late for training or for her classes. She was deliberately punctual – always making sure that she arrived fashionably early as opposed to late, not wanting to give her teachers an excuse to lecture her, beat her, or even send her to the Grandmaster. She'd always been obedient due to her fear.

Until today...

Nyssa sauntered down the currently deserted corridors of the Lin Kuei palace, hands jammed in her pockets, her note book and two text books tucked under her arm, quietly humming a vague tune whilst she stopped to admire the various paintings and tapestries that decorated the stone walls. She had three classes this morning - geography, Chinese and then history - and she was already five whole minutes late to her geography class with Sifu Mikhail and she was in no rush to get there soon.

Her tardiness wasn't entirely intentional. She'd overslept that morning due to feeling emotionally drained from the events of the previous day. After Kuai Liang had run away from her half-way through their make out session, Nyssa had locked herself in her bathroom and cried in the shower for a good thirty minutes before eventually coming out, only to throw herself onto her bed and continue sobbing silently into her pillow throughout most of the night, only then to be plagued by nightmares of crushing the drunk man in that deadly claw-like hand whilst he begged for mercy. She gave herself a splitting headache and only four hours of sleep and was in a very foul mood.

Nyssa felt angry. Angry at herself and angry at everyone.

She had cursed herself a thousand times for using a new ability in front of Rickard, Matteo and Xueman. After hoisting Matteo onto the sled and covering his wound so the bleeding would slow, Rickard and Xueman had demanded answers from her. They wanted to know how she conjured the hand and sword out, what the purple energy was, whether or not she had other abilities, how long she'd been hiding them. All while threatening to tell the Grandmaster if she did not answer their questions. She felt furious as she remembered how she told them everything, about her healing powers, her innate capability, how she'd hidden them for almost four years and then how she broke down in front of them and begged them not to speak a word of it to anyone. They gave her their word that they wouldn't, but that hadn't done much to decrease Nyssa's fear. She had unintentionally given the three of them power over her. Matteo was almost unconscious at the time, so she felt ok about him, she wasn't sure about Rickard, and she certainly didn't trust Xueman.

Fear and self-loathing coursed through her now that she knew she was capable of committing such a horrible act of violence. She'd prided herself on her ability to resist the Lin Kuei's indoctrination, convinced that they'd never get through to her. But she wasn't so sure anymore, having seen a new side to herself last night. A side of her that had no qualms with mindless violence. But just as she started to fear that she'd taken Mikhail, Edward, Asato and Oniro's lectures to heart, Kuai Liang had momentarily brought her back to herself.

She'd always had a little bit of a thing for Kuai Liang, deep down inside her, despite denying it for many years. She'd always preferred him to the other boys, enjoyed his company more and liked that he openly cared about her but had just dismissed it as platonic friendship. But now it was different. She wanted to rebel and be selfish for a change. She saw it as a way of sticking her middle finger up at Oniro and the Lin Kuei, proving to them and, more importantly to herself, that they were not getting to her. They'd never control her.

And she'd been surprised to discover how much she liked kissing her friend. It had awoken all these new emotions deep inside her. The way he held her in his arms and the way he kissed her as if she was the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted had excited her so much that she desperately wanted more. And his initial eagerness had convinced her that the feeling was mutual. It had been a sweet release from her emotional turmoil and it made her realise that she liked him a lot more than she initially thought.

_I'm sorry...I can't...I just can't..._

His words echoed in her mind as she continued to stroll slowly down the corridor and a scowl formed on her pretty face. She didn't understand her hurt reaction to his rejection. She had never given him any indication of harbouring romantic feelings for him until now so how was she supposed to know whether or not he felt the same way? She'd put him in an uncomfortable position so his shock and rejection should have been no surprise.

It was still painful though...

Nyssa sighed heavily, banishing her thoughts of Kuai Liang to the back of her mind, as she finally reached the classroom. She could hear Sifu Mikhail's deep Russian accent on the other side of the door and he sounded angry, although Nyssa found that he always sounded that way.

"Might as well get this over with," she sighed before knocking on the door and pushing it open. The moment she stepped inside, all eyes were on her. Most students in the class were holding their breath, waiting for the volcanic eruption that was sifu Mikhail's temper. Nyssa glanced at the Russian's slowly reddening face and almost laughed when she saw a vein throbbing in his forehead.

"Vhere zhe hell have you been?" he roared at her, drawing himself to his full height so he towered over her. She thought he was going to either crush her or pick her up in a bear hug and squeeze the life out of her. Not that he'd succeed...

"Been living la vida loca, sifu."

Her sarcasm was so perfect that she could see him take her seriously for a brief moment. There was an audible gasp of disbelief from several of the other apprentices, shocked by Nyssa's disrespectful attitude, and they looked on fearfully as Mikhail lunged at Nyssa. He backhanded her across the face so hard that Nyssa tasted blood and fell heavily to the ground, before he grabbed her by her hair and yanked her to her feet. Fortunately, Nyssa had braided her hair very tightly to her head, so it didn't hurt as much as he wanted it to.

"You know vhat happens vhen students are late and disrespectful? They get five lashes vith my cat o' nine tails!" barked Mikhail as he dragged her towards the front desk and unclapsed the deadly whip from his belt.

"Meh. Go ahead," said Nyssa, shrugging her shoulders indifferently, as if the threat hadn't fazed her when she was secretly shitting herself. She even held her arm out confidently, offering him the chance to hit her. She should be an actress.

It seemed to work though, as Mikhail faltered once again, puzzled by the girl's nonchalant reaction. Mikhail got off on instilling fear in his students and the enjoyment had always been very apparent on his face whenever he'd beaten one of them. Take the fear away, and Mikhail would lose interest and issue a different form of punishment. At least, that was what Nyssa was hoping would happen.

He glared hatefully at her and sullenly slammed his cat o' nine tails on the desk, like he'd been denied a real treat.

"You vill go vithout lunch and dinner and you are to clean out zhe kennels for the rest of zhe veek! I vill speak to zhe Grandmaster about you," he grumbled, shoving Nyssa away from him and gesturing for her to sit down.

_'Joke's on you, dumbass. The dogs are the only things I want to be around right now...'_ she thought, mentally sticking her tongue out at her Sifu.

Nyssa then looked to her usual seating place at the back of the classroom. Her heart sank and jealous rage boiled in her stomach when she saw that Xueman was sitting in her seat next to Kuai Liang. He avoided her gaze but the white haired girl looked so smug that Nyssa wanted to run over and hit her over the head with the chair, but she wouldn't submit to her selfish jealousy. Instead, she settled for scowling at the pair of cryomancers before stalking over to one of the tables in the middle row and sitting in the space next to Tomas, which was empty because that was usually were Matteo sat. Fortunately, she had no reservations about sitting with Tomas. He was the only one of her friends who she wasn't angry with.

"_Ahoj Nyssa. Jsi v pořádku?" _asked Tomas in Czech. Having become fluent in Mandarin, Tibetan and Japanese, Nyssa had become eager to learn more languages. Tomas had offered to teach her Czech and Matteo was teaching her Italian.

"_Co myslís?" _she replied irritably as she opened her text book and note book and began the exercises that Mikhail had written on the chalk board.

"You're not hurt, are you?" he asked, switching back to English. He looked very concerned about her.

"Nah. Old geezer's getting soft," lied Nyssa. Whilst his blow had hurt her very much initially, the pain was already gone and she was positive that she wouldn't get any bruising.

"That was a pretty good joke though. Can I borrow it for the next time I'm late?"

"Sure. You should also try; Someone told me to go to hell. Couldn't find it at first, but now I'm here," she suggested.

"Oh that one is even better. I can use that pretty much every time Huiliang speaks to me," joked Tomas. Nyssa cracked a weak smile. She'd pay good money to see the Grandmaster's son's reaction to that one.

The morning crept by at a snail's pace. Her eyelids were heavy due to her lack of sleep and the general boredom brought on by the lessons, her jaw ached from yawning constantly and she resorted to asking Tomas to pinch her leg if he caught her drifting off. By the time their history class had started, Tomas had pinched her about four times, always whispering an apology whenever he did so. Her stomach also began to ache from hunger and she suddenly regretted skipping breakfast, especially now that she had to miss her other meals for the day.

_'Someone is going to die today...' _she thought grumpily as she alternated between staring blankly between her note book and history book to make it look like she was paying attention. In reality, she was just counting the minutes in her head, waiting for the class to finish so she could get to the kennels and be alone as quickly as possible. Although, she had an inkling that she wouldn't be left alone for long. She'd caught Kuai Liang shooting her several glances during the class, his eyes filled with mixed emotions, despite Xueman's obvious attempts to keep his attention on her. Sometimes he'd mouth her a greeting or ask her if she was ok, but she ignored him every time. She didn't want to talk to him today.

After what seemed like an eternity, the gong finally resonated throughout the temple, indicating that morning classes were over and that it was time for lunch. Nyssa sighed in relief as she heaved herself to her feet and gathered her books.

"If you want, I'll sneak some food into the kennels for you. I know what you're like when you're hungry and it ain't pretty," offered Tomas as the two of them walked out of the classroom together, not stopping to wait for the others.

"Thanks Tomas. You're a darling," she replied gratefully. She was slightly offended by his comment, but he'd promised to bring her food so she wasn't about to cut her nose off to spite her face.

"N'awwwwh. Oh stop it you! Anyway, me and the others are gonna hang out a bit before lunch. Are you coming?" he asked.

"I would but I better get started on my extra chores. Plus I don't think Kuai Liang wants to be around me at the moment," she told him. She almost laughed at the puzzled and incredulous expression he gave her.

"What are you talking about? He adores you! Did the two of you have a fight?"

Nyssa's cheeks flushed pink as she debated what to tell Tomas without revealing that she snogged his best friend.

"Ask him. I don't want to talk about it. I'll see you later," she muttered quietly, before turning on her heel and walking away towards the entrance of the temple so she could get started with her chores. The sooner she started, the sooner she'd finish.

The winter air was strong, crisp and cold and felt fresh on Nyssa's skin as she pushed the heavy doors open and stepped outside. As she made her way over to the kennels, she saw that some of the dogs had been let out and were wandering around the paddock, rolling around in the freshly lain snow. Ears pricked and tails wagged as she approached and she soon found herself swarmed by sixteen Siberian huskies.

"Ok, puppies. Settle down. Settle down!" called Nyssa, wading her way through the sea of fur before making her way inside. The smell of dog was particularly pungent as the kennels hadn't been cleaned for a few weeks and it made Nyssa's eyes water. Holding her breath, she opened all the windows to air out the room, before she set to work.

She removed all the bedding and took them outside to beat out the dust and dog hair, before she swept and mopped the floors in every individual kennel and cleaned up any 'accidents' that the dogs might have had. After Tomas came and went with some fruit that he'd managed to steal from the kitchens, Nyssa set about changing their bedding and giving them fresh water in their drinking trough. When she'd finished, Nyssa checked the time and realised that she was now half an hour late for training class.

"Oh well. No point going now..." grumbled Nyssa so she decided to give some of the dogs a thorough brush, knowing they'd make less mess once they'd been groomed properly.

Grooming the dogs was no easy task. They squirmed, wriggled and often ran away as most of them were frightened by the undercoat rake that she used to comb out the ridiculous volumes of shed out fur. By the time Nyssa had finished grooming just four of them, she had enough fur to make a blanket.

Whilst she was chasing Aurora around the paddock, trying to brush her coat, she was alerted to someone approaching the kennels by the dogs barking excitedly. She glanced up and saw Kuai Liang approaching, wearing a scowl on his handsome face.

_'Oh great. What does he want now?' _thought Nyssa angrily. She didn't care. She didn't want to hear.

Noticing that Aurora had run back inside the kennels, she followed the dog, slamming the door behind her so the dog couldn't get back out. To her dismay, Kuai Liang followed her in, shutting the door and blocking it with his body so she had no way getting back outside.

"What do you want?" Nyssa snapped, glaring at him angrily.

"I think we need to talk about what happened yesterday. You're clearly upset over it-" he started calmly, but she interrupted him.

"Fantastic observational skills, Sherlock! What on earth gave you that idea?" she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him.

"Just a wild stab in the dark. I mean, it's not like you've been acting out of character all day. You know, being late or not showing up to classes, being rude, ignoring me all day," he shot back, using just as much sarcasm as her. She'd clearly had an impact on him.

"Yeah, well when you finally open yourself up to a guy and then he rejects you with no explanation, that tends to happen. I think I'm allowed to be a bit pissed off. Sorry if that inconveniences you,"

"Listen, I get that you're angry and confused. I am as well. But you can't act out like that! Do you know how much trouble you're in after today? I've never seen sifu Mikhail or Edward sensei this angry before,"

"Well, I don't give a shit," she snarled, whipping around to glare at him. "I've been in trouble ever since I arrived in this stupid temple so I don't care what happens to me anymore. I'll do what I want and if they don't like it, then they can go fuck themselves!" cried Nyssa, her voice growing dangerously loud. Kuai Liang looked positively scandalised and he quickly glanced out the window, checking that no one else had heard that.

"Don't say stuff like that! Even Bi-Han and Huiliang don't get away with that! You've seen the beatings we've got for speaking out of turn! I can't watch you do that to yourself!" he hissed. He'd crossed the room so he was now standing only inches away from her.

"Oh stop acting like you care about me! You can't just kiss me and run away from me and then start lecturing me like you've got my best interests at heart!" she growled, squaring up to him aggressively.

"Do not put words in my mouth! You mean more to me than you know!" he snapped back, his blue eyes narrowing dangerously.

Nyssa had already opened her mouth to respond but she faltered at his words and felt her anger dwindle slightly. His words echoed in her mind and her heart rate increased dramatically in her chest. But she wasn't going to back down so easily, so she scowled again and folded her arms angrily.

"Well then what the hell was last night about then? You seemed so up for it in the beginning..." she demanded. His pale cheeks turned pink and he hesitated, wringing his hands as he tried to figure out what to tell her.

She sighed loudly in her frustration and tried to duck around him so she could get out of the door, but he grabbed onto her and pulled her back. When he didn't release his grip on her, she became angrier.

"Kuai Liang, get the fuck off me!" she snapped, trying to squirm free. She felt her anger begin to boil over and she was almost ready to hit the cryomancer.

"Will you just give me a minute? This stuff is hard! Talking about feelings and emotions isn't exactly encouraged!" he growled, gripping her very tightly. She roughly pushed him away, forcing him off her and then she rested her back against the wall, taking deep breaths to calm herself so she wouldn't do something that she'd regret. She dropped her gaze so she was staring at the floor and her vision soon became blurry as tears stung her eyes.

"Well it's not hard for me," she told him as a solitary tear streamed down her face. "Do you know how hurt you made me feel? Like, you've always been that little bit extra than Tomas or any of the other guys. Always so kind to me and make me feel like I'm worth something just by being myself. And when you kissed me back, I felt truly happy for the first time in years. For a minute there, I thought that you might actually like me back and then you just ran off. I cried for about an hour after that!" she told him, sniffing loudly and wiping her tears away with her sleeve. She spared him a glance and saw his blue eyes shining and his mouth had fallen open slightly in surprise.

"Like you back? You mean that...you like me more than just a friend?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly. He sounded so innocent. It was quite endearing.

"I'm not sure. I do know that I like being around you more than anyone else here. I like training with you, studying with you. I even like going hunting with you, even though I hate hunting, because I just like how much you enjoy it. I like that you worry about me when I'm sparring and comfort me when I'm sad and..." she hesitated momentarily before continuing; "And I hate it when Xueman flirts with you and acts like she's entitled to you and Bi-Han just because she's the only female cryomancer! And kissing you made me realise that I like you a lot more than I thought I did..."

It wasn't the most romantic confession but she still felt her face go hot at the way she just wore her heart on her sleeve in front of him. She wished he'd say something back, instead of just standing there and staring at her like he was truly seeing her for the first time.

"If you don't like me back then just say it..." she murmured, unable to look him in the eyes out of fear that her anger would get the better of her and she'd strike him.

"Nyssa, I've had feelings for you since we were twelve!" he blurted out suddenly, making her head snap up in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes, but I never acted on them because I was too afraid of getting caught and one of us would get killed. That's why I ran off last night. I care about you so much, and I've wanted to kiss you for so long and I got so swept up in it all that I forgot where we were. We could have been caught so easily last night and I didn't want to risk it. I'm so sorry I ran off and that I made you cry. I'm sorry I'm making you cry right now," he said, noticing that more tears were trickling down her cheeks.

Nyssa brushed her tears away impatiently before flinging her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. Their argument was immediately forgotten in her mind. She didn't care about it anymore. She just wanted affection and Kuai Liang was the one she wanted it from.

He was at least two inches taller than her, which allowed her to bury her face comfortably in the crook of his neck. She took a deep breath, inhaling his natural scent. He had a musky, leathery scent that came from his uniform and there was still a hint of his body wash, telling her that he'd showered recently. She liked the way he smelt.

She felt his hands come up to rest on her shoulders and for a minute she thought that he was going to push her away. But he paused for a brief moment before wrapping one arm tightly around her waist and resting his free hand on her hair. His hands reached to her hair and pulled it out of the braid and she almost purred when she felt his fingers comb through her silky locks.

They stood there in silence for several moments, arms wrapped tightly around each other, breathing each other in and silently enjoying the new found intimacy between them. A smile crept onto her face as she felt Kuai's head turn so he could place gentle kisses on her hair. Nyssa mentally prayed for the moment to never end.

"You're so wonderful..." she heard him breath just above her right ear. "You're brave, kind, funny, smart and I think you're the most beautiful girl ever. I've been crazy about you for years but never figured that you'd ever feel the same about me. You made me so happy when you kissed me...but..."

"Oh, come on! We're finally having a moment! Why does there have to be a 'but'?" she moaned as she lifted her head away from his shoulder so she could glare at him.

"Nyssa...look where we are. Romantic relationships are forbidden. We can't be selfish. What we're doing right now would probably be the extent of our relationship. Just meeting up in the kennels or the cellars so we could kiss and hug each other for a few minutes. And they'd kill us if we got caught. Bi-Han told me that they always killed the woman first whenever an assassin was caught out. I can't watch that happen to you. We need to carry on and act like nothing has changed between us," he told her, giving her a very serious look.

"They can't kill me, Kuai Liang..." she blurted out unexpectedly.

"Why not?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Nyssa froze and quickly debated telling him about her healing abilities before deciding against it and raked her brain for an excuse.

"I'm too important. Remember the reason I'm even here in the first place," she told him, reminding him of the reason behind her abduction.

"Besides," she continued. "Huiliang, Bi-Han and a lot of the older assassins go around shagging anything that stands still for long enough. And Matteo and Rickard are hiding so why can't we? We can be together just as long as we're smart and careful and cover our tracks..." she implored him.

He still had an uncertain, scared look on his face. His reluctance to pursue a relationship with her was disappointing. Now that she knew he had feelings for her, and was positive of her own feelings, she wanted him to love her and, more importantly, to love him back and to experience some form of true happiness, not just living a life that was bearable at best. She wanted him badly and, in her mind, it seemed foolish to carry on as normal and stealing kisses in private didn't sound like a bad idea at all, but she wasn't prepared to emotionally manipulate him into being with her, so her arms dropped from his shoulders and she took a small step away from him.

"It's ok. I get it..." she said, giving him a small sad smile.

"Thanks..." Kuai Liang replied, but he didn't look happy at all.

"We'll just...carry on like nothing ever happened..."

"Yeah..."

"I mean, we've both worked really hard to get to where we are today. It would be a shame to risk blowing it,"

"Mmm-hmmm,"

"Bi-Han would be proud of your self-restraint," she said, remembering how hard Kuai Liang tried to impress his older brother and live up to his standard and expectations.

"Fuck Bi-Han! Fuck it all!" he suddenly burst out, making her jump out of her skin, before he stepped forward, took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately.

Nyssa was glad that she had her back against the wall because she was certain that her knees would fail her at some point as the fire in her belly was ignited and burned intensely. Kuai Liang was a good kisser. Not that she had anyone to compare him to, but his lips were smooth and soft, and the two of them moved in perfect harmony together, starting as sweet and gentle before growing in heat and passion, making Nyssa feel dizzy and breathless. She liked that.

Her hands moved up to his chest, massaging his pectoral muscles gently, and then moved to rest comfortably on his biceps, her nails digging into him ever so slightly. As their heads tilted so they'd have a better angle to deepen their kisses, his hands tangled themselves in her hair, pulling her towards him and refusing to let her pull away. Not that she wanted to...

"You're glowing..." he murmured as they finally broke apart, slightly panting for breath. Nyssa blushed heavily, giggled and gave him a coy smile.

"What made you change your mind?" she asked curiously.

"I want to be selfish for a change and you make me brave. Don't get me wrong; I'm shitting myself that we're going to get caught. But I just want to know what it's like...being with you. I don't care if it's a day or a week or even a year. You give me courage," he breathed. He stared into her eyes so intensely, she could sense his genuineness and it almost brought a tear to her eye. She was so happy that she'd made him feel brave enough to be true to his feelings.

"Careful. You're going to make me cry again,"

"Please don't. You'll make _me _cry..." he replied, flashing a grin at her. She giggled again before leaning forward and kissing lightly him on the lips several times, gently caressing his cheeks as she did so.

"It'll be ok. We'll figure something out..." she told him confidently. He just smiled again and pecked her lips again.

"I should probably get going. I told Bi-Han and Xueman that I'd only be ten minutes...and that was twenty minutes ago," he said, untangling himself from her arms.

"That's fine. Go ahead. If you like, we'll arrange something tomorrow during lunch for when I've finished the extra chores," she offered.

"Oh yeah...Edward sensei told me to tell you that you'll be doing an extra hour of training with him everyday for a week as punishment for missing today's class...so maybe we'll do something next week," he replied, giving her an apologetic smile. She responded by groaning in exasperation and then slumped against the wall, sliding to the floor.

"He's gonna kill me..." she moaned out loud to herself, folding her arms against her chest and pouting childishly. Edward did not take kindly to students cutting his classes and had a reputation of putting them through rather brutal training drills. Kuai chuckled at her behaviour as he bent down to place a kiss on her forehead before he turned and walked towards the door.

"I'll see you later," he said, waving goodbye before exiting the kennels. Aurora tried to run after him, her tail wagging excitedly and whined when he didn't stop to stroke her.

"Paws off. He's mine and there's a queue," joked Nyssa, sticking her tongue out at the blue-eyed husky before getting up and reaching for the brush once again to finish grooming her.

She continued working and cleaning for another hour, but the time passed quickly as she worked with a huge smile plastered across her face, feeling happy that she and Kuai Liang had resolved their argument and excited that the two of them were now in a relationship...sort of...

Deciding that she'd done enough work in the kennels for the day, she rounded up all the dogs and shut them inside for the night, before heading back into the temple and to her room so she could have a shower and put her clothes in the wash. She was covered in dog hair and the smell wasn't pleasant. Just as she had put on her pyjamas and was toweling her hair dry whilst happily day dreaming about Kuai Liang, Xueman entered the room, looking hot and sweaty. She'd clearly just finished training. Nyssa's good mood instantly vanished.

"Phew! I'm beat! Bi-Han has really been pushing us since he became one of the junior instructors. Lemme tell you, that ice-slide technique is hard!" the white haired girl exclaimed, fanning herself with her hand before patting the sweat away with her hand towel. Nyssa didn't reply and instead focused on brushing the knots out of her wet hair.

"You should have seen Kuai though! He was amazing! He's so talented and I reckon he'll definitely be as good as Bi-Han one day. And he actually complimented my ice daggers! Said I was getting really good at them! I reckon he was going easy on me when we were sparring. Do you think that means that he likes me? Oh I hope so! We'd be so good together!" she gushed as she took off her training gloves. Nyssa merely grunted in reply although her knuckles went white on the handle of her hairbrush. She knew she was being jealous but she wasn't even sure that Xueman's 'affection' for Kuai was genuine.

"I'm so tired! I'm gonna sleep well tonight! Although, I'm not as tired as you'll be tomorrow. You did hear that Edward sensei wants you to do extra training with him?"

"Yes, I heard,"

"I won't lie to you; I think you should use your extra training sessions to your advantage," said Xueman. Nyssa looked up at her and raised her eyebrow in disbelief.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Use them to get to know your powers. Find out whether you have any limitations and unlock your full potential. An assassin with the ability to heal itself, absorb knowledge and create weapons out of energy would be the Grandmaster's crown jewel. You'd be unstoppable," said Xueman encouragingly. Nyssa sighed heavily and her fists clenched in her lap.

"I said this yesterday, Xueman. I'm not telling anyone else about these powers. I had no intention of showing you, Rickard or Matteo last night. It was all a mistake. I'm already training to be an assassin so I'm dangerous enough without these stupid magical abilities. I could end up killing someone I care about," Nyssa argued, glaring at her hands as if they were to blame for her powers.

"If you practiced and learnt to control them, then you wouldn't have that risk. I was scared of my cryomancy powers in the beginning, but I had the right training and now I'm almost unbeatable!" urged Xueman, sitting opposite her.

"I made up my mind! I'm not telling anyone and you promised me last night that you wouldn't say anything to anyone!" snapped Nyssa.

"And I haven't! I'm just saying, I think you're making a mistake. And you owe me big time!" said Xueman as she started peeling off the outer layers of her blue and black uniform.

Nyssa's heart dropped into her stomach_. 'I owe her big time? I already do most of her homework. What more could she possible want?' _she thought, but she knew this would come. As annoying as it was, she wanted Xueman's silence, so she'd have to pay the price for it.

"Fine. What do you want?" she asked. Xueman's icy blue eyes gleamed maliciously as she thought about what she could get Nyssa to do for her.

"I know you said you'd finish those shuriken for Tomas and you have the extra chores and extra training. But as soon as you're done with all of that, I want you to make me those swords. I know Bi-Han is teaching me to wield a kori blade but I want some real swords! And I want them to look deadly!"

"Duly noted. Anything else?" asked Nyssa dryly.

"Yes. I want you to do my laundry and clean up my stuff from now on. I have way more important things to do than tidying up every day. Oh! And I want you to talk to Kuai for me," she demanded, making Nyssa's head snap up in shock and she almost dropped her hair brush.

"So...you're serious about him then?" she asked, dreading the response.

"Well kind of. Bi-Han was the better option, but no one is getting through to him. Kuai is much nicer and he's closer to my age so at least I have a chance with him. And my chance would be even better if you spoke to him for me, being his best friend and all," said Xueman, eyeing her suggestively.

Nyssa just sat there, staring at her room mate and tried not to look positively dumbfounded. She was mildly disgusted by the steepness of the cryomancer's demands and also couldn't get her head around the fact that Xueman only wanted Kuai because Bi-Han was too much of a challenge. She longed to tell Xueman that there was no way in hell that Kuai Liang would be interested in her, seeing as he had just admitted his feelings for Nyssa not that long ago. But Xueman already knew too many of Nyssa's secrets. She didn't need to know about this.

"But what about the Grandmaster's rules?" she asked, knowing full well how hypocritical she was being at that moment.

"When I become Grandmaster, there won't be rules like that," Xueman boasted arrogantly.

_'Wow. The girl has big dreams...' _thought Nyssa. She wondered how the more 'conservative' members of the Lin Kuei would feel answering to a woman. She knew Huiliang would not go down without a fight.

"I can try. There's no doubt the two of you are well suited. But I know Kuai does have some reservations having relationships. He's not like Bi-Han at the end of the day. He's worked hard to earn the Grandmaster's favour and doesn't want to blow it," said Nyssa. She thought mixing some truth with her lies would make it all the more convincing.

"Thanks, Nyssa. You're a pal!" chirped Xueman happily, before walking into the bathroom to take a shower.

Once she was out of ear shot, Nyssa snorted derisively at Xueman's comment as she flung herself into bed and under her blankets. She was pretty sure that what Xueman was doing classed as blackmail and it certainly didn't do much to improve their already tentative 'friendship' and she was certain that it would be worse if Xueman found out about her and Kuai Liang. But Nyssa needed to be sure that she had Xueman's silence. Even if that meant becoming her personal servant.

_'I need to get out of here...'_ thought Nyssa angrily, as she closed her eyes and started dreaming up an escape plan.

**END OF CHAPTER FIFTEEN! **

**And there we have it! I hope you all enjoyed it. Please read and review as long as you have something nice to say. **


	16. Career options and laundry

**Chapter sixteen is here!**

**I'm so sorry for keeping everyone waiting. Thank you to the people who PMed me asking for me to continue the story. It's just that final year of uni is SUPER manic. I had loads of exams, coursework, working on my dissertation and to top it off, my grandma died and I had to take a few weeks off so I could go to her funeral. It sucks when you go to a uni in a different country to your family. Makes going home a HELL of a lot harder.**

**Chapters 16 and 17 won't contain much in terms of action. It's more of an opportunity for me to develop the relationship between Nyssa and Kuai Liang at this point. But! Just you wait until chapter 18! Then shit REALLY starts to go down!**

**Chapter sixteen – Career options and laundry.**

_A few weeks later..._

_Shink!_

The distinctive sound of a katana being drawn from its sheath resonated in Nyssa's ears, jarring her out of her meditation. Her hands flew to her katana that was on the ground next to her and she spun around on her knees, swinging the blade in an upwards motion. Metal clashed against metal as Nyssa made sure to block her opponent's sword with the back edge of her sword, before deflecting it away from her.

"Very good, Nyssa..." said Edward, grinning as she swiftly got to her feet. He threateningly twirled his own katana in his right hand as he began circling her, like a tiger stalking its prey. Nyssa inhaled calmly, focusing her mind and body. She made sure her back was straight and her stance relaxed and she gripped her katana firmly and confidently, holding it at a forty-five-degree angle in front of her. She wore her plain black training uniform whilst he looked much more formal in his white karate gi top and his black hakama trousers.

"Let's see how much you've learned!" he said, before charging at her, thrusting his sword forward in a stabbing motion. Nyssa swiftly took a step back, moving out of his range and parried his sword away with a downward block before she went to attack with a vertical cut, aiming for his throat. But he countered with a similar strike and began a powerful onslaught, alternating between vertical and diagonal strikes.

The clangour resonated throughout the dojo as Nyssa tried to keep up with him and match his strikes blow for blow, alternating between blocking and countering. Her muscles ached and a sheen of sweat appear on her forehead from the effort of keeping up with her sensei. She attempted to stay strong and fight back, but Edward was a lot bigger and a lot stronger than her, and used this to his advantage to try and force her back into a corner. He swung his sword downwards, as if he were going to cut her in half, only to be stopped once again by an upward block from Nyssa. He pushed forward, putting his weight behind his sword and trying to throw her off balance. Nyssa's arms shook as she attempted to hold her ground, whilst realising that he would eventually break her guard unless she changed tactics soon.

Thinking quickly, she swiftly dropped down into the splits, making her sensei stumble forward and trip over her. She quickly spun on the floor and hooked her foot around his ankle and tripped him over so he fell over onto his back. Seeing her chance, Nyssa got to her knees and raised her sword over her head and swung downwards, aiming for this throat once again. She stopped a mere inch away from his Adam's apple, not wanting to decapitate her sensei.

"Yield, sensei!" she ordered breathlessly, her brown eyes gleaming in triumph. Grey eyes looked up at her, confused and surprised and Nyssa was so sure that she'd beaten him. But she forgot that he still had his own sword. It came up underneath hers and deflected it away from his throat. The blade flew from her hands and she was unable to defend herself when he kicked her in the stomach, causing her to fall backwards and then, as she tried to get to her feet, his katana slashed across her shoulder, cutting through her black uniform and the flesh in her shoulder.

"Ouch!" she yelped, as a stinging pain flooded her shoulder. Her hand flew up to cover the wound and relieve the pain, just as she felt Edward stand behind her. His hand grabbed her braid, restricting her movements and his katana rested against her throat.

"Yield, Nyssa..." he ordered calmly. Nyssa glanced at her own sword, which had landed about five feet away from the two of them. She wouldn't be able to reach it from here. She debated how she could get away from Edward, but she could feel the wound on her shoulder healing and she'd have to cover it soon in order to stop Edward from seeing it.

"Ok. I yield," she muttered and he promptly released her and sheathed his katana. Nyssa quickly leapt to her feet, grabbed her katana and dashed over to the bench to grab the first aid kit, hastily placing some cotton wool where the cut had been and placing some medical tape over it to hold it in place. Edward came to stand next to her and grabbed his hand towel, wiping the sweat away and running his hand through his chocolate brown hair.

"I must admit; you've improved significantly! You mastered all the strikes and kata in a matter of weeks and your technique and creativity when sparring is exemplary! You'll be a kenjutsu master before you know it," he commended her.

"But, sensei, I lost," she reminded him, confused by his praise. Whenever Asato or Mikhail were in charge of training, the loser would always receive a harsh lecture or even a beating.

"Like I said, you've improved! When we first started sparring, I could beat you easily. You put more of a fight up each time and one day you may be able to surpass me. You should seriously consider doing a kenjutsu demonstration for your Rite of Passage. And you should make some weapons to present to the Grandmaster," he suggested to her.

"Why?"

"Well once you pass your Rite of Passage, your primary role will be an assassin but you'll also be given a role that will enable the Lin Kuei to function better as a community," he explained.

"What do you mean? Do we get any choice in the matter?" asked Nyssa.

"You will get some options, depending on how well you do in your Rite of Passage and if your instructors put a good word in for you. I did particularly well so I had a lot of options and I chose to become an instructor and teacher. But those aren't the only options available. Our way of life is hard, so we need guards, medics, farmers, builders. We also need researchers who go out into the world to meet with potential clients and to gather information on target. We need mechanics to repair and monitor our technological equipment. Anyway, you're a talented metalsmith. I've seen the shuriken that you made for Tomas and Matteo, the swords you made Xueman and that hunting knife you made recently. If you present this talent to the Grandmaster, he'll offer you the chance to be one of the clan's blacksmiths as long as I put a good word in for you," said Edward, giving her an encouraging smile.

"Knowing the Grandmaster, he'll make me be a cook and cleaner," said Nyssa dryly which earned her a short sharp slap on her cheek.

"Don't say such things. If the Grandmaster was going to make you a servant, then he wouldn't have had us train you for the past ten years," he scolded her gently.

_'Wow...Ten years. I've been here too long... about ten years too long...' _thought Nyssa, as she rubbed the spot on her cheek where he had slapped her. Her mind flew back to ten years ago, when she used to live in the Shaolin temples. The memories had become vague as she got older. Each year, it got harder and harder to remember how she, Kung Lao and Liu Kang would train and play together every day, how they'd stay up late to build tents in their rooms, and the pranks they'd pull on one another. She missed her friends dearly. She even struggled to remember Raiden and Fujin sometimes. But whilst she fought to remember Raiden's straw hat and Fujin's long white hair that he wore in a plat, she never forgot their lessons and, more importantly, their love.

Still, at least she had Kuai Liang now.

"Nyssa? Are you listening to me?" asked Edward, shaking Nyssa out of her train of thought.

"Sorry, sensei. I was thinking about what I should do for my Rite of Passage," she lied quickly.

"I see. Well I was just saying that I think we're done for today. You may leave if you wish. We'll train again at the same time tomorrow. And don't think about your Rite of Passage too much at the moment. You still have plenty of time and there will be a meeting where the whole thing is explained to you," he told her. Nyssa nodded and bowed to her sensei in respect, then she bade him farewell and started heading back to her room. She wanted to have a shower and relax a bit, but Xueman had given her a lot of laundry to do. Plus, it was Kuai's seventeenth birthday today and she needed to give him his present.

Heaving all the dirty washing into a wicker basket, Nyssa picked it up and then exited her room to head towards the washing room with a slight spring in her step. Her new boyfriend was supposed to meet her there in about twenty minutes. They regularly made sure that their chores would coincide with one another, so it gave them an excuse to spend more time together. And seeing as they were both approaching adulthood now, many of the instructors found it unnecessary to supervise the teens, meaning that it was often an opportunity to have some quality private time together. As long as one of them arrived and left earlier than the other, then it wouldn't raise too much suspicion. At least, that's what she and Kuai hoped. The washing room was also one of the ideal locations to meet up, as it was situated at the end of an echoic corridor, meaning that the two of them would be alerted to people approaching and wouldn't get the nasty surprise of people bursting in on them.

When Nyssa finally reached the washing room, she was disappointed to see one of the female servants in the middle of cleaning the room. But the older woman shrank back in fear upon seeing the young apprentice walk into the room.

"_Forgive me! I will be finished soon! I will not get in your way!" _the woman squeaked in Tibetan, shrinking back as if she feared that she would be punished for just breathing the same oxygen as Nyssa. The younger girl didn't like that the servants feared her and the other apprentices just as much as the older assassins. She wanted to tell the servant to take her time, but truthfully, she wanted her gone so she could be alone with Kuai Liang.

"_Be quick about it," _ordered Nyssa calmly, replying in the woman's native tongue. She pretended to look down her nose at the servant as she hurriedly finished sweeping the room, before scurrying away like a kicked dog. Nyssa would have felt sorry for the poor woman. She knew what it was like to live in fear of being beaten and threatened every day, but she was too excited to see Kuai and give him his gift. She very much enjoyed their private meetings, which occurred about once a week. They made sure to never schedule a meeting on the same day, so people wouldn't start recognising patterns of suspicious behaviour.

She lit the fire and began heating up some water in order to soak the clothes. She sprinkled some soda crystals in the water and absentmindedly began scrubbing. Every time she heard a door slam in the background or footsteps in the corridor, her head would whip around so fast, she could feel her neck crick.

"He's taking his sweet time…" grumbled Nyssa as she scrubbed sweat and blood stains out of one of Xueman's blue tunics. If Kuai Liang was going to make her wait…well two can play at that game…

The sound of footsteps hurrying down the corridor reached Nyssa's ears and the door opened and Kuai Liang finally walked in, arms ladened with his own washing. He was wearing soft cotton black trousers and a plain black t-shirt that hugged his muscles. Nyssa's cheeks went hot as her eyes ran over the swell of his biceps and the way the sleeves of his t-shirt stretched over them.

"Hi! Sorry I'm late. Only just managed to shake off Tomas. I need to start thinking of some better excuses," he said, dumping his clothes in the wash basin next to her. Before Nyssa had time to react, he'd reached over and made her let go of the soaking clothes and then backed her against the wall, evoking an excited squeak to burst from her lips as he placed several kisses on her cheeks, gradually making his way down her neck.

"Dooooon't! That tickles!" squealed Nyssa, tears of laughter leaking from her eyes as she tried to wriggle away from him.

"Damn. It's supposed to turn you on…" grumbled Kuai Liang, his lips leaving her neck, his eyes narrowed in mock annoyance.

Nyssa rolled her eyes at him. "You're obsessed with discovering my erogenous zone…"

During one of their previous meet ups she had managed to get the cryomancer very worked up, massaging his pectoral muscles whilst nipping at his neck and collar bone. As amusing as it had been watching him try to hide his erection in his trousers, he was now determined to give Nyssa a taste of her own medicine.

"I don't understand how it's so easy for me to get going but you're just ticklish. I want to make you feel good," he purred as his lips trailed towards her ear to give it a gentle nip and his hands reached down to grope her buttocks.

"What happened to my sweet Kuai Liang? Who's this sex-crazed animal?" joked Nyssa, grabbing his wrists and moving them back up to her waist, but she didn't mind really. She knew Kuai Liang was joking.

"Can you blame me when you're that gorgeous? And it _is _my birthday after all…" he said, grinning suggestively at her.

Nyssa laughed again. "Will a birthday kiss be enough?"

"For now. I'll get through to you eventually,"

Nyssa giggled again before she grabbed him by the collar of his t-shirt and pulled him forward into a kiss, welcoming the familiar feeling of butterflies fluttering happily in her stomach as his arms wrapped tightly around her so they were fully pressed together. Time slowed down around them as their lips danced together and her head started swimming. She'd never tell him how dizzy or excited he made her feel whenever he flirted and kissed her. She knew he'd never stop kissing her if she did.

"Mmmm that was nice…" he murmured as they broke apart for air and he gently rested his forehead against hers, staring into her brown eyes and caressing her cheek.

"So much better than my dreams," Nyssa agreed, slowly running her hands through his dark hair and gently playing with the hair on the back of his neck.

"So you _do _think about me when you're in bed? Good to know. How about I make some more of those dreams come true?" he said, grinning wolfishly with gleaming eyes.

"Maybe…after I give you your present," she said, pulling away from him and rummaging through her clothes for the small thin parcel wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string that she'd hidden in the pocket of her training slacks.

He blinked in surprise as she excitedly handed it to him. "You…really got me something?"

"I did! I hope you like it! Happy Birthday!" she said, waiting for him to unwrap it.

"That's so sweet, _àirén__. _You didn't have to…" he said, turning the parcel around in his hands, examining it carefully before he tore off the paper, revealing a brand new wood handled hunting knife and a leather sheath. Nyssa's heart swelled happily in her chest when she saw Kuai Liang's eyes light up excitedly as he examined the knife carefully. The blade was about 5 inches long, roughly half the length of the whole knife, and made of steel and she'd even engraved his name in Chinese onto the handle.

"I know you lost your old knife, so I made you a new one. This one should be lighter and easier to carry around but the blade is strong so- "he interrupted her rambling by kissing her warmly and hugging her tightly.

"I love it, _t__iánxīn__. _It's beautiful. But I thought you hated hunting?" he asked her curiously.

"Well you did promise not to hunt anymore snow leopards so I think we're good,"

Kuai Liang admired the knife once more before he put it back in the leather sheath and strapped it carefully to his belt. He looked at it happily and then pulled Nyssa into another tight hug, resting his forehead against hers and placing soft, light kisses on her lips that always left a tingling sensation with her. Nyssa sighed happily in his strong embrace and rubbed his biceps affectionately.

"No one has ever given me a gift before…not as long as I can remember…Thank you so much. But you really didn't have to," he told her.

Nyssa snorted and rolled her eyes at him. "I know I didn't _have_ to. But I _wanted _to. I wanted to do something nice for you to show you how much you mean to me,"

"Careful…I'll start getting emotional if you continue being this sweet to me," the cryomancer warned mockingly, his blue eyes glinting in amusement.

"Hey, if you can't show your emotions to _me_, then who _can_ you show them to?"

"Certainly not Bi-Han…" Kuai Liang remarked dryly, his facial expression darkening suddenly at the thought of his older brother's increasingly cold and heartless attitude. Nyssa knew that the relationship between the two brothers was becoming increasingly strained as they got older and Bi-Han went on countless missions. Despite the elder cryomancer's hatred for their deceased father, he was becoming more and more like him each passing day.

Feeling sorry for her boyfriend, Nyssa gently took his face in her hands, rubbing her thumbs across his cheek bones before leaning in and giving him another kiss. "Feel better?"

She could tell that she had cheered him up from the coy grin that had spread across his features and the way his grip tightened on her waist.

"Nyssa…I... I lo- "

Nyssa's heart leapt in her chest in excitement and anticipation, hoping that Kuai Liang was going to say what she hoped he would, but hurried footsteps suddenly echoed down the corridor outside, approaching the laundry room quickly. Nyssa immediately untangled herself from Kuai Liang's arms and hastily picked up the tunic that she had abandoned in favour of snogging her boyfriend and began scrubbing vigorously. Kuai Liang grumbled quietly to himself as he busied himself with his own washing when the door opened and Xueman walked in, her cheeks flushed, icy eyes gleaming and her white hair looking even spikier than usual.

"There you are Kuai Liang! I've been looking for you!" she exclaimed, bounding across the room and latching onto his arm. Nyssa felt jealous anger burned her insides but somehow managed to keep herself composed. The look of discomfort on her boyfriend's face was enough to keep Nyssa from ripping Xueman's arm off.

Regarding Xueman's terms and conditions for keeping silent over the incident in Tingri, Nyssa had kept her promise with great reluctance and had told Kuai Liang of the female cryomancer's interest in him. Kuai had responded by laughing and kissing her warmly, assuring her that he was only interested in _her, _not Xueman. Although he had politely let Xueman down by informing her that he was too interested in his training than relationships, the female ice wielder was relentless in her pursuit of him.

"Hello Xueman…" said Kuai Liang, trying to pull his arm free.

"You'll never guess what! I worked out this awesome new technique! You have to come and see it right now!" she said, tugging on his wrist in an attempt to get him out of the door.

"That's great Xueman but I'm kind of busy right now," he replied, gesturing to the wash basin filled with his dirty laundry.

"Oh you can leave that! Nyssa will do it for you! She's so helpful like that!" said Xueman, suddenly bounding over to the brunette girl and clasping one of her shoulders. Although the cryomancer's smile was friendly, her grip was painfully tight; a silent warning for her to go along with Xueman's plan or pay for it later.

"Yeah, it's ok. I can do it for you," said Nyssa quietly.

"Then it's settled then! Come on Kuai!" exclaimed Xueman happily, grabbing his wrist again and pulling him through the door. Nyssa laughed weakly at the confused look Kuai Liang gave her and mouthed an apology as he disappeared with Xueman, leaving Nyssa alone with an even bigger pile of laundry to do. Sighing irritably, Nyssa began soaking Kuai Liang's clothes whilst contemplating how she could dye Xueman's robes bright pink. She was sure that Kuai Liang had been ready to tell her that he loved her, only to be snatched away by the greedy white haired girl. She wanted to wring her neck.

"Another eighteen months…that's all you have to do. Just wait another eighteen months and then you can get out!" Nyssa whispered to herself.

She smiled as she thought of the goal she'd set herself. Continue to train and put up with Xueman, Bi-Han, Huiliang and the Grandmaster for another eighteen months. By the time that was over, she'd be 18 years old, would have completed her Rite of Passage and would legally be an adult. Then she'd leave. She'd leave and _never _come back.

'_Just another eighteen months…' _

**END OF CHAPTER SIXTEEN!**

**As I'm sure you can work out, **_**t**__**iánxīn**_** means 'sweet heart' in Mandarin (I think). I was originally going to have Kuai Liang call Nyssa **_**àirén **_**but apparently you use that term for your spouse rather than your girlfriend. **

**There we have it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please read and review! Chapter seventeen will be coming soon! Pinky promise!**


	17. I love you

**Told you this one would be quick! **

**All speech in Italics indicates speech being said in a different language. **

**Warning: Some mild cruelty and sexuality in this chapter. **

**Chapter Seventeen: I love you. **

_Six months later…_

"Is this it?" asked Tomas as he and Kuai Liang walked into the dojo. "Are we the only ones graduating and doing the next Rite of Passage?"

Kuai Liang looked around the huge dojo as he and Tomas took their shoes off, and was shocked to see how empty it was. Being in this room made him excited and nervous at the same time as it was the Grandmaster's private dojo. The oak walls were decorated with various tapestries, weapons and portraits of the previous Grandmasters. There was no electricity in this room so the only light was provided by the burning candles and torches strategically placed around the room. It was intricately cleaned and cared for by the servants and if anyone were to be caught wearing shoes whilst inside, the Grandmaster would most likely cut that foot off. Whilst only the Grandmaster and his family were allowed to train in this dojo, it was also the location where all the important Lin Kuei ceremonies were held, including the Rite of Passage. The only people in the room besides himself and Tomas, were Rickard, Tabansi and Shang who were seated on one of the wooden benches and looked just as puzzled as he did. Their class was quite large so it was a surprise to see that only a small handful of them would be graduating this time around.

"I'm sure Nyssa will be here in a minute. I'm sure I saw Sifu Mikhail pass out one of the notes to her as well. I'm surprised that Matteo isn't here…" said Kuai Liang as they sat next to Rickard.

"He wanted to be. He begged Edward sensei to let him graduate with us but he wouldn't let him. He's very bitter about being held back a year," said Rickard.

"Did sensei say why they're holding him back?" asked Tomas.

"He's the youngest out of us lot by about six months. His birthday is right at the end of December and the Rite of Passage normally takes place once _everyone _in our age group has turned eighteen. The options were to either hold Matteo back for another year or to hold _all _of us back. You can guess which option the Grandmaster chose,"

"Poor Matteo. I'd be furious as well if it were me being held back," said Tomas sympathetically.

The shoji screen door to the dojo slid open again and, to Kuai Liang's relief, Nyssa walked in, dressed in her usual black training uniform with her hair in a high ponytail. She smiled when she saw Kuai Liang and Tomas and started to walk over to them but slowed when she saw Rickard. A frown graced her features and she refused to look at the blonde teen as she firmly sat down next to Tomas and deliberately looked in the opposite direction, pretending to study one of the portraits of Oniro's predecessors.

An awkward silence fell over the teens and Kuai Liang and Tomas exchanged exasperated glances with each other. They didn't know what had happened between their two friends since the incident in Tingri. They'd asked on numerous occasions, but neither of them had answered, stubbornly refusing to give them any information regarding their secret disagreement. Kuai Liang thought that it would have blown over by now and the two of them would make up, but there was no sign of either Nyssa or Rickard making an effort to resolve their issues. The cryomancer made a mental note to ask Nyssa about it in private later that day. He'd arranged to meet outside the temple. He had something to show her.

The door slid open yet again and this time, the Grandmaster hobbled in, hunched in his red and black robes and assisted by his cane, closely followed by Huiliang, Bi-Han, Edward sensei and Sifus Asato and Mikhail. The apprentices leapt to the feet and politely lined up, bowing to the Grandmaster in respect before kneeling down in front of him as he sat in the large oak-carved chair.

"_Is this it?" _demanded Oniro in Mandarin, his thin, reedy voice carrying easily throughout the dojo. He waved his wooden cane at the apprentices irritably before slamming it on the ground, making them jump slightly. _"These pathetic weaklings are to be the next generation of Lin Kuei assassins? I am most disappointed especially in you, Asato. You usually present me with a more impressive set of warriors!" _

"_Forgive me Grandmaster. I can assure you that every one of these apprentices is just as capable and efficient as any group of apprentices that came before them," _grovelled Asato, who appeared slightly nervous at the prospect of displeasing his Grandmaster.

"_Even that one? She does not look capable or efficient to me!" _snarled Oniro, pointing his cane at Nyssa. Kuai Liang's hands balled into fists in anger and he fought his desire to stand up and punch the Grandmaster for insulting his beloved girlfriend.

"_Of course Grandmaster. Looks can be deceiving after all,"_

"_We shall see about that…" _growled Oniro, glaring at each of them with cold black eyes that reminded Kuai Liang of a bottomless pit. He suppressed the shiver that tried to shoot down his spine.

"_Edward! You may begin!" _ordered Oniro, slamming his cane on the ground once again. Edward sensei obediently stepped forward to address the apprentices.

"You have been called here today, on the 25th of August 2006, to begin your preparation for the Rite of Passage ceremony that will take place in approximately one year, once all of you have turned eighteen. This is a momentous occasion in your lives and will be the first step in your careers as Lin Kuei assassins. All your training and everything you have learnt has been preparing you for this one moment," Edward said as he paced before the apprentices, looking each of them in the eye so they understood how serious this occasion was. Kuai Liang stole a quick glance at Tomas and Nyssa, who both fidgeted nervously.

"Think of the Rite of Passage as a final exam or an opportunity to showcase your abilities and powers to the Grandmaster. The exam has four parts in total. The first part will be a kata demonstration that you will all perform together in order to show your ability to work in perfect harmony and synchronisation. The second part is the talent section, where each of you will prepare something unique and individual that will set you apart from everyone else. This could be a new technique that you have developed from your special abilities, a new and original kata, or maybe even a weapon that you wish to present to the Grandmaster. You have a lot of freedom with this section but make sure you are prepared for it. During the third section, you will be asked to demonstrate your medical knowledge. You will be given a simulation where you have to administer first aid to a wounded assassin. You will all have this partner assigned to you and your partner will also be essential to the fourth and most important part of the Rite of Passage; a full contact sparring match where all the rules are lifted. You must fight your partner and win by whatever means necessary, whether that's killing your opponent, knocking them out or forcing them into submission," said Edward.

A lump had built up in Kuai Liang's throat that he swallowed loudly. He hoped that he would not be partnered with Nyssa. Or Tomas. He didn't think he could bear hurting either of them.

"Should you pass your Rite of Passage, you will graduate and go on to complete your first assassination. If you successfully complete your first mission, you will become a fully-fledged member of the Lin Kuei. Should you fail either the Rite of Passage or the assassination, then you will be disposed of. The Lin Kuei expect nothing but the best and if you cannot live up to these standards, then you have no place amongst us. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sensei," the six of them chorused loudly.

"Very good. Now I know that a year seems like a long time to wait, but use this time wisely. It is likely that the Rite of Passage will take place between July and September but you will not know the exact date until the day before it takes place so it is essential that each and every one of you is prepared. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sensei!"

Their sensei studied them carefully before nodding his head, appearing to be satisfied, before he beckoned Sifu Mikhail to stand forward. Kuai Liang noticed that the large Russian man was carrying a small wooden box in his giant hands.

"This box contains all the names of the past ten generations of apprentices who passed their Rite of Passage and went on to become Lin Kuei assassins. You shall draw one name from the box and they shall your partner for the third and fourth sections of the Rite of Passage. Be warned that they will not go easy on you. They have as much to prove by winning as you do. Pick one name and then read it out so we can all hear," warned Edward.

Mikhail walked up to Tabansi, who was first in line and offered him the box. Kuai Liang held his breath as the African boy closed his eyes and rummaged around the box before drawing a small slip of paper out.

"Ichiro," said Tabansi, his voice betraying no emotion.

Shang went next and read out; "Huiliang." Kuai Liang almost exhaled in relief. The cryomancer knew that he'd have no hope in hell of passing had he drawn Huiliang's name. Still, there was a chance that he could draw Bi-Han. Kuai Liang didn't know which one was worse…

Mikhail moved to Rickard next. The blonde boy dug through the box, pulled out the paper and said; "Alexei,"

Now it was Kuai Liang's turn.

The cryomancer's hands shook slightly as his Sifu held the box out to him and he reached inside, digging as deep as he could and crossed his fingers, hoping against hope that he wouldn't pick Bi-Han. Sifu Mikhail glared at him and snapped at him to hurry up, so Kuai quickly grabbed a slip of paper and pulled it out. He nervously unfolded the paper and read the name written on it.

"Huang…" he said as another wave of relief swept over him. _'Thank God for that!' _he thought happily as Mikhail moved onto Tomas who picked Alejandro to be his partner.

Kuai Liang glanced over at his girlfriend as her turn came. She appeared to be calm and collected but he recognised the small signs that gave away her fear and nervousness. He saw the way she blinked rapidly and the way her fingers flexed nervously as she reached into the box and snatched up the first piece of paper she touched. He found himself holding his breath for her and immediately knew that it wasn't good news from the look of dread in her brown eyes.

"Bi-Han…" she muttered heavily, crumpling the piece of paper in her hand.

The Grandmaster cackled loudly, slapping the arm of his chair in his amusement. It was an unpleasant sight and the noise was even less so.

"_That girl against Bi-Han? We might as well kill her now to save ourselves the trouble!"_ he said once he'd finished laughing. The cryomancer hoped that he was joking.

'_Shit…' _thought Kuai Liang fearfully, looking up at his brother who was standing next to the Grandmaster's son and was now wearing a wicked look on his face, smiling nastily at Nyssa who hung her head to avoid his gaze. There's no way in hell that Bi-Han would let Nyssa win. He'd kill her before she even had the chance to lay a single blow on him.

Kuai Liang couldn't let that happen.

"Excellent. Now everyone has picked their partners you may leave," said Edward, bowing to the apprentices. Just as he went to take a step backwards, Oniro suddenly slammed his cane on the ground once again. Even the instructors jumped this time.

"_I have decided to hold an impromptu test right now in order to determine whether they are ready to take their Rite of Passage and to determine their loyalty to the Lin Kuei!" _announced Oniro suddenly, his black eyes gleaming maliciously.

"_Sir?"_

"_These boys have a lot to prove, considering that they are the first generation of Lin Kuei to take the Rite of Passage with a __**girl **__in their ranks. How will I know that these boys are capable warriors when their competition is a mere girl? If she can beat them, then any of our enemies can. Will you let a girl beat you, boys? Humiliate you?" _The Grandmaster demanded.

"_No, Grandmaster," _chorused the boys. Kuai Liang felt sick as the words left his mouth. He glanced at Nyssa and saw her cheeks burning red with humiliation and her fists clenched tightly.

"_Then prove it to me! Nyssa, step forward!" _he ordered, beckoning Nyssa with a wave of his frail old hand. Nyssa did as she was told and took two steps forward and turned to the side, as if she were about to spar.

"_Tabansi, Shang, Rickard. Step forward all of you," _

The three of them obeyed and stepped forward to face Nyssa. Both Tabansi and Shang were glaring angrily at her, whilst Rickard looked as though he really wished that he was somewhere else.

"_Hit her!" _demanded Oniro, his disgusting mouth stretching into an evil grin.

"_Why sir?" _asked the dreadlocked boy, looking uncertainly between Nyssa and Oniro.

"_Because your Grandmaster commands it! Now do it!" _

Tabansi and Shang bowed to the Grandmaster obediently before lunging at Nyssa with their fists raised. Nyssa leapt backwards and lifted her arms into a guard, preparing to fight both boys.

"_No, that will not do! Bi-Han! Huiliang! Restrain her!" _snarled Oniro.

"_Yes, Grandmaster!" _they responded eagerly, stepping forward immediately and grabbing Nyssa roughly. She struggled against them and tried to break free, but they were a lot bigger and stronger and they forced her arms behind her back. Both Tabansi and Shang grinned at each other and raised their fists once again.

"STOP IT!" shouted Kuai Liang and Tomas in unison, much to their surprise, but Tabansi ignored them and struck Nyssa hard across the face, making her cry out in pain. Shang quickly followed suit, hitting her on the other side of her face, eliciting another cry from the brunette girl.

Rickard took an uncertain step forward and reluctantly prepared to punch Nyssa as well, but both Tomas and Kuai Liang charged forward and pushed the blonde boy back and away from Nyssa.

"_Pathetic weak boys!" _snarled Oniro, shaking his cane angrily at Tomas and Kuai Liang. _"She has beguiled them with her feminine ways! Probably spread her legs for them!" _

"_That's not true!" _argued Tomas, glaring at Oniro hatefully as wisps of smoke started to waft from his tightly clenched fists. Even Kuai Liang was now unable to control his anger. He felt his powers flowing through him and a thin, flexible sheen of frost began forming along his arms, cold steam radiating off him.

"_SILENCE BOY! Are you both so spineless that you can succumb so easily to the charms of a whore?" _demanded Oniro.

"_Nyssa is not a whore and we are not spineless!" _argued Kuai Liang.

"_Then prove it! Prove your loyalty to me and the Lin Kuei! Hit her!" _

"_I won't do it! She has done nothing to deserve this!" _snapped Kuai Liang.

"_You will do it because your Grandmaster ordered you!" _demanded Oniro, shakily rising to his feet and slamming his cane down once again.

"_Grandmaster, is this really necessary?" _said Edward, stepping forward uncertainly in an attempt to put a stop to this.

"_Yes it is! I have no use for disobedient and insolent assassins. What good is a Lin Kuei if he cannot follow his Grandmaster's orders? Listen here, boy. You will strike her. Hard. Or I will give her to my son for the night where he may hit her as often and as hard as he likes," _Oniro threatened, brandishing his cane at Kuai Liang, whose heart had almost stopped beating in his chest, a look of horror plastered on his face.

Being a cryomancer, Kuai Liang rarely felt the cold. He could walk for hours in a blizzard in nothing but a t-shirt and cotton trousers and the freezing temperatures would not affect him in the slightest. But he felt it now. He felt the chill seep through his veins and a frozen fist clench around his heart. He'd hate himself for hitting her. But he couldn't let Huiliang torture her either.

"Just do it, Kuai Liang!" snapped Bi-Han, glaring at his younger brother.

Inhaling deeply and steeling his courage, Kuai Liang stepped forward. He ignored her wounded facial expression and the way her tear-filled brown eyes pleaded with him not to do it…and then he hit her…

The sound of his slap resonated throughout the dojo and her cheek turned red. No cry of pain came from Nyssa this time. Instead it was a choked sob that filled him with self-loathing and hatred towards the Grandmaster, Huiliang and his brother.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" said Bi-Han, giving his brother a cold smile.

'_Fuck you,'_ thought Kuai Liang furiously.

"_Excellent. You may all leave now. Use the rest of the evening wisely…" _said the Grandmaster, a satisfied look on his wrinkled old face. Bi-Han and Huiliang released Nyssa, who promptly bowed to Oniro before turning on her heel and running out of the dojo as fast as she could. They waited for the Grandmaster to hobble out of the dojo first and then they all filed out behind him. Kuai Liang barely noticed how the instructors slipped away to go about their business or how Tabansi and Shang scurried after Huiliang and Bi-Han whilst he and Tomas just walked back to their bedroom in an awkward silence.

Kuai Liang opened the door to their room and hurried over to the chest where the three of them kept all of their belongings, opened it and pulled out his bow and quiver of arrows and the hunting knife that Nyssa had given him for his birthday.

"Going hunting?" asked Tomas, as he stripped his grey training tunic to put on a vest top.

"Either that or target practice where I pretend I'm shooting the Grandmaster, Huiliang or Bi-Han. Or I might jump off the side of the mountain. I haven't decided yet," replied Kuai Liang as he slung his quiver onto his back.

"Kuai…don't beat yourself up about it. It was a lose-lose situation. You know what Huiliang would have done to her…" said Tomas, gently clasping the cryomancer's shoulder. Kuai Liang's face crumpled and he hung his head in shame.

"Did you see the way she looked at me?" he muttered, squeezing his eyes tightly shut so tears wouldn't leak out. He knew if he cried in front of Tomas, he would never let him live it down.

"I know it's tough but trust me when I say that the look on her face would have been a hell of a lot worse if you hadn't done it. I think you did the right thing…as fucking horrible as the right thing was,"

"Great pep talk, Tomas. Making me feel _a hell _of a lot better. I'm going to find something to shoot…" growled Kuai Liang, picking up his bow and walking towards the door.

"Enjoy pretending to hunt whilst you secretly meet up with Nyssa and try to win her back!" called Tomas cheerfully, making Kuai Liang freeze in his tracks.

'_Holy shit he knows!' _he thought as he felt a drop of cold sweat trickle down his neck. The cryomancer violently spun around and roughly shoved Tomas back up against the wall, an ice dagger forming in his hand.

"Have you been spying on us? We tried so hard to cover our tracks! How did you find out?" snarled Kuai Liang angrily, pointing the sharp end of the dagger at Tomas' throat, who regarded him with cool grey eyes.

"Kuai, you and Nyssa are my best friends and I've watched you be in love with her for years now. It wasn't hard to work out. Plus, did you really expect me to believe that the plastic snow leopard toy you bought in Tingri was _really _for you? You must think I'm pretty stupid…" remarked Tomas casually, taking the ice dagger away from Kuai Liang and throwing it across the room. It landed on the floor with a small crash and shattered into several pieces.

"Not stupid. I was hoping that you'd forget," grumbled Kuai Liang.

"Seriously Kuai, just chill out. Your secret is safe with me. I'd never betray you guys. And yes that pun _was _intended!" said Tomas, giggling to himself like a child. Kuai Liang rolled his eyes and shoved Tomas in the shoulder, but that didn't stop him from smiling as well. He said goodbye and then he walked out of their room, through the corridors that still seemed to be cold and gloomy even in the Summer time, before he exited the temple and started to make this way through the trees.

As it was the Summer, there was currently no snow or ice to slip on thanks to the fiery orange sun and the heat, but Kuai Liang still found himself stumbling through the hedges and ducking under low-hanging branches, as he tried to get as far away from the Temple and Amaya's hut as possible. He'd carved a marking onto a birch tree deep within the forest and told Nyssa to meet him there after the Rite of Passage meeting but he wouldn't be surprised if she stood him up today.

Fortunately for him, she was there, sitting cross-legged on the lush green grass and he noticed that she was fiddling with the small plastic snow leopard that he'd given her on her birthday. Her cheeks were red and tear-stained, her eyes were bloodshot and still swimming with unshed tears that made the cryomancer's heart break.

Throwing his bow and quiver to the ground, he ran to her, dropping to his knees and pulling her into a tight embrace, repeatedly kissing the spot on her cheek where he'd hit her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me,_ t__iánxīn_" he begged, his own tears now streaming freely down his face, not bothering to try and hide them.

"It's ok. I'm not crying because you hit me, you didn't mean to. I'm not angry at you, I promise," she muttered thickly, her voice trembling and her breath shuddering. Kuai Liang leaned back and raised his hand to gently wipe her tears away but they kept flowing as she broke down in front of him. She latched onto him and sobbed into his shoulder whilst he rubbed her back and rocked her soothingly.

"I fucking hate them. I hate all of them! I'm not a whore. I've done nothing to deserve any of this! I feel like I'm guilty for just being fucking alive!" she wept uncontrollably. Kuai Liang felt the shoulder of his tunic start to go damp, but he didn't care. He just held her until her tears subsided, stroking her back and kissing her hair.

"I hate them too,_ t__iánxīn_. It won't always be like this. It'll get better, I promise!" he whispered and then placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

Nyssa sniffed loudly and wiped her tears away with the back of her sleeves. "I'm ok now. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Anyway, you said you had something to show me earlier on?"

His reason for meeting Nyssa out in the wilderness suddenly came back to him and he grinned widely at her as he pulled her to her feet. He quickly picked up his bow and quiver and then began leading her by the hand through the trees until they came to the rock face that was almost hidden behind a large collection of fir trees and bushes that grew over their heads. Kuai Liang pushed his way through the branches and shrubs to reveal the small cave opening hidden behind the plants.

"Go in. It widens out the further you go in," he encouraged her as when she gave him a sceptical look. She crouched down and entered the cave with him followed closely behind her.

"Kuai, I can barely see,"

"Hang on, I brought a candle," said Kuai Liang, fumbling in his pockets for the candle and the box of matches he brought along. He struck a match and lit the candle that provided them with enough light so they could see where they were going.

"How did you find this place?" asked Nyssa as Kuai Liang took her hand and lead her down the tunnel that gradually got big enough for them to stand up straight in.

"I was out hunting a few weeks ago and chased a fox through the bushes. It tried to hide but I managed to catch it and then I found this place," he told her.

"But what if there are other animals in here?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"Don't worry, _t__iánxīn_. It smells too much of human in here now so that'll keep most animals away. But I did mark the outside and surrounding trees and bushes with wolf and tiger urine just to be safe. We shouldn't have any problems,"

They finally reached the end of the cave that was tall enough for a man over 7ft tall to stand up straight in and wide enough for a group of six people. Kuai Liang fumbled his way around the dark, searching for the candles that he'd placed strategically around the cave a few days ago, eager to show his girlfriend his handiwork. As a warm, glowing light began to illuminate the cave, Nyssa glanced around the room and saw that Kuai Liang had decorated the cave floor with various rugs, mats, blankets and cushions in an attempt to make it as comfortable as possible. He'd even gone and collected some wild flowers and put them in a glass of water in the corner.

"You did all this?" she asked, smiling widely at him.

"You said a while ago that you wished that we had our own place that only we knew about. Somewhere where we could meet up and not have to constantly worry about being walked in on. I know it's not much, but I tried to make it more comfortable. Stole a bunch of old blankets and stuff that the servants were going to throw out. Do you like it?" he asked hopefully. His response was a long sweet kiss.

"It's perfect. I love it," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling happily at him. Joy and pride swelled inside the young cryomancer's chest. He felt glad that he'd managed to cheer her up and that she appreciated all his hard work. He stared into the beautiful brown eyes that he'd fallen in love with and admired the way the candlelight was reflected in them. He began memorising the details and features on her face; her perfectly straight nose, her soft plump lips, her long thick eyelashes, her high cheek bones, her straight white teeth.

"_Tiánxīn...Wǒ ài nǐ..." _he whispered in his native tongue as he cupped her face with his cold, calloused hands and kissed her softly and lovingly. He wanted to add something else to his confession, he wanted to give her a long and eloquent speech to tell her how much he loved her and how much she meant to him. But he soon realised that there weren't enough words, in English, Chinese or any other language he knew that could express those feelings. So he settled for repeating himself; "_Wǒ ài nǐ,"_

"_Wǒ ài nǐ shèngguò yíqiè," _she replied in Chinese. The cryomancer felt as though his heart was beating faster and slower at the same time as he pulled her into another kiss, placing one hand on the back of her head to pull her thick wavy hair out from its ponytail. This kiss was passionate and fiery and their tongues wrestled for dominance with each other as the two of them made their way over to the make-shift bed and knelt down on it.

Kuai Liang soon found himself sandwiched between the hard ground and his girlfriend, who was straddling his hips, grinding slightly against his aching cock, and running her hands over him as if she were trying to touch him everywhere at once. He grabbed her wrist suddenly when he felt her undoing the ties of his blue training tunic and belt.

"I didn't bring you here for sex…" he said quickly.

"Don't you want to?" she asked, cocking her head at him.

"I do but…I know you're not ready. I know I joke about it but I don't want to put any pressure on you. I only want it if you're 100% up for it," he told her, gently running a hand through the long silky locks that were tickling his face and neck.

"I'm not ready for sex just yet but…" she said slowly as she undid his tunic and then lifted his undershirt over his head, exposing his bare torso to her for the first time. Her gaze was so intense that he could almost feel her brown eyes burning onto his chest as she looked him over. Her hands began tentatively exploring him, her fingers caressing a heated trail over the dips of his muscles that was soon followed by her curious lips, and as her tongue gently rolled around his nipple, Kuai Liang's mind began to go foggy.

"Uhhhhh…but what?" he murmured breathlessly. He wouldn't continue with this until he knew what she wanted and what she was ready for.

"I want to _see _you…I want to _touch_ you and I want _you _to touch _me_,"

That was all he needed to hear.

"It can go as far as you want it to. You're in control here,"

He sat up slightly so he could pull her into another kiss and help her as she fumbled with the ties to her own uniform. He slipped the tunic off her shoulders and pulled her undershirt off and then she undid her training bra and showed him her breasts for the first time. He only had a brief moment to admire the perky fullness of her breasts or her hardened nipples because he was soon pinned to the ground again, her lips attacking his. Curiosity got the better of him and he raised his hands to cup her breasts, feeling how soft and warm they were and how they filled his palms perfectly, whilst her quick, nimble fingers undid the drawstrings of his trousers and pushed them down over his hips along with his boxers.

Kuai Liang groaned loudly, deep from within his chest as his hard cock sprang free and she wrapped her fingers around it and began stroking him slowly. He hastily tugged at the waistbands of her leggings and underwear and pulled them down low enough so he could slip one hand in-between her thighs and was greeted by a warm wetness that enveloped his fingers. She broke their kiss as a small whimper escaped her lips and she grabbed his hand to guide him to circle her clit gently but firmly before reaching for his dick once again.

Kuai Liang kissed Nyssa again, their hips grinding slightly as they stroked each other, muffling each other's gasps and groans with their kissing. Kuai felt his orgasm approaching fast so he rested his forehead in the crook of Nyssa's neck in an attempt to ground himself, his breath coming out in short, shallow pants. He tried desperately to hold out, but her name soon burst from his lips just as his balls contracted and spasmed and then he was spilling into Nyssa's hand.

And moments later, he heard his own name echoed back to him as Nyssa trembled on top of him when she reached her own climax.

**END OF CHAPTER SEVENTEEN!**

**You won't believe the number of times I rewrote this chapter. It originally contained a full on sex scene but I wasn't satisfied with it so I toned it down to this. I mainly wanted to see how you guys would react to the development in their relationship before I took it all the way with Kuai Liang and Nyssa. **

**Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review! **


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